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Parallels

"Tensions with China escalated     | "Tensions with China escalated     
when Chairman Xi Kuan ordered U.S. | when Chairman Xi Kuan ordered U.S.  
embassies closed over..."          | embassies closed over..."          
                                   |                                    
The voice of the newscaster droned | The voice of the newscaster droned 
in the background as John leaned   | in the background as John leaned   
back in his sofa, put his feet up  | back in his sofa, put his feet up  
on the coffee table, and took a    | on the coffee table, and took a    
sip of his brandy.                 | sip of his brandy.                 
                                   |                                    
Today had been a good day. John    | Today had been a good day. John    
had just secured a 100 BTC funding | had just secured a $100 million    
round for his startup. His hard    | funding round for his startup. His  
work and diligence had paid off.   | hard work and diligence had paid   
The investors were impressed by    | off. The investors were impressed  
the quality of the product,        | by the number of active daily      
confident that it solved a real    | users, confident that they could    
need for the users. Investors were | soon be monetized. Investors       
careful with their hard earned     | freely spent money to acquire      
Bitcoin, only investing in         | large userbases, knowing that more 
products with demonstrated         | funding could always be easily     
utility, knowing that once they    | raised, until the time that the    
parted with their capital, it was  | userbase becomes locked in and     
gone if the company couldn't       | ready to monetize. Because of      
deliver. Because of that, John had | that, John had made the decision   
made the decision to focus his     | to focus his company's efforts on  
company's efforts on delivering    | marketing, celebrity endorsements, 
the best possible value to his     | and free giveaways, and that       
customers, and that decision was   | decision was now paying its        
now paying its dividends.          | dividends.                         
                                   |                                    
"Hey dad!" The voice of his son,   | "Hey dad!" The voice of his son,   
Calvin, interrupted John's         | Calvin, interrupted John's         
reverie. "Look what I built!"      | reverie. "Look what I did!" Calvin 
Calvin bounded up to him with      | bounded up to him with laptop in   
laptop in hand. On the screen,     | hand. On the screen, John could    
John could see the markings of a   | see the markings of a stock        
Lightning wallet program. Calvin   | trading app. Calvin had recently   
had been building a liquidity      | gotten interested in trading and   
sharing service which would allow  | had just booked a 200% profit on a 
merchants to easily and            | vol arb gamma hedge. John was      
automatically borrow Lightning     | proud of Calvin. He seemed to      
liquidity from each other. John    | understand the world, unlike his   
was proud of Calvin. Like his      | older brother Martin who had       
older brother Martin, Calvin liked | insisted on following his passion  
to build things that other people  | of being a carpenter despite       
would use. Although they had very  | John's warnings. Predictably,      
different interests---Calvin had a | Martin was now struggling, unable  
penchant for computers while       | to build any savings and           
Martin liked working with wood---  | constantly seeing his income       
they both understood that they     | drained away by rising prices.     
should use their skills to bring   | John wondered where Martin got his  
value to others. Much like their   | personality from---it certainly    
father.                            | wasn't from his father!            
                                   |                                    
Bzzt, bzzt! John's phone buzzed in | Bzzt, bzzt! John's phone buzzed in 
his pants. He picked it up and     | his pants. He picked it up and     
looked at the caller ID. It was    | looked at the caller ID. It was     
his wife, Lydia. "Hi honey," he    | his ex-wife, Lydia. He put the     
answered. Lydia was on her way     | phone back in his pocket without    
home from work and wanted to know  | answering. Lydia had divorced him  
if he wanted her to pick anything  | because he was spending too much   
up from the grocery store. John    | time at industry conferences and   
answered that they still had some  | celebrity networking events.       
steaks in the fridge, but that     | "You're never home! Your sons need  
they were running low on beef      | you," she had said. But Lydia      
tallow. "I'll pick some up on my   | didn't understand what was          
way home," Lydia said. John        | required to build a company. It    
appreciated everything that Lydia  | was all about getting to know the  
did for the family. She had        | right people. When Lydia left, the 
supported him through some tough   | court left Calvin with John and    
times as he worked on building his | Martin with Lydia. She also got    
company. But John knew that she    | half of all his assets at the      
did it because she believed in     | time. "Oh well," thought John,     
him, and also because she could    | "easy come, easy go." Remembering  
the see that his proof of work was | that he still hadn't prepared      
setting a good example for their   | dinner, John punched in his usual  
children to follow.                | order on DoorDash.                 
                                   |                                    
It would still be about 40 minutes | It would still be about 40 minutes  
until Lydia arrived home. John     | until the DoorDash arrived. John    
decided to take a short nap. As he | decided to take a short nap. As he 
drifted off to sleep on the couch, | drifted off to sleep on the couch, 
the voice of the newscaster        | the voice of the newscaster        
continued to drone in the          | continued to drone in the          
background.                        | background.                        
                                   |                                    
"... not enough BTC in either      | "... war bonds approved by         
country's treasury to fund         | Congress... Federal Reserve Chief  
prolonged war... President Harold  | supportive... President Chet Cohen 
Mooney expected to open            | expected to declare war formally    
negotiations next week... "        | next week... "