This is very well put.

When Christianity was counter-culture, persecuted, and laughed at, it thrived and fulfilled it's purpose. The message was unstoppable. As soon as Christianity went mainstream, next thing we know we're mingling the faith with all of our favorite Pagan practices, and the message becomes greatly diluted.

I agree that cryptocurrencies were never meant to be treated like a stock or investment. It was meant to be an alternate form of exchange for tangible goods and services. It was not just supposed to be exchanged just for other cryptocurrencies, but things like groceries and paying your electric bill. Or your plumber.

When bitcoin was young, people began using is as intended, for trade. And advocates of Bitcoin were mocked. Yet, Bitcoin was fulfilling it's purpose. As we see it go mainstream, the point of it all is becoming watered down and people only see it as an investment, a part of their portfolio. Just as nobody purchases their groceries with a fraction of a stock, nobody will purchase their groceries with Bitcoin. (Yet.)

This may sound strange, but I'm sad to see bitcoin explode in value so quickly like this. Not because I "missed the boat", or that I think it's a "bubble", but because it's a sign that it's being valued for the wrong reasons. If it really was the blockchain that everyone is amazed by and willing to put their money into, then more modern and optimized currencies would be doing better. But they're not. People just like having the bragging rights of owning this trendy investment, BITCOIN. And they profit from it. More power to them. May Bitcoin continue to grow and never come tumbling down. Because if it does, it's quite possible all the other (and better) coins will come tumbling down too. And that's unfair, since it would delegitimize a legitimate and greatly improved form of exchange in favor of an inferior and highly manipulated FED issued fiat "legal tender." Someday this paper might become "legal tinder" for our fireplaces.

I want to earn STEEM and I want to trade STEEM for tangibles. That is the future of STEEM, if it is to survive. This is the "message" of cryptocurrencies. STEEM on! @ironshield