Hey everyone, long time lurker, finally have something meaningful to share. I also posted it to /r/bitcoin, but I figured I'd go ahead use the opportunity to make this my first post on bitcointalk as well. I'd really love for anyone interested in Bitcoin to read this. It's important to me.
Original Post:
http://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/33u4z0/bitcoin_as_a_catalyst_for_the_next_major/Copy/paste from original:
If I have learned one thing over my life, it is that the we as humans seem to have an innate desire to improve upon anything that can be improved upon. There is always someone out there that will say "we can do better" *and* set out to prove it.
The advancement of humanity and its technological achievements are accelerating at a staggering pace, the acceleration itself seems to be accelerating exponentially! Major human advancements, the type that change humanity forever, are taking place multiple times in a single lifetime now.
- We launched ourselves into the cosmos, and traveled over 250,000 miles to walk on our own moon. Then we came back home. This accomplishment has inspired countless people to this day, myself included. But it is only one of the giant leaps for mankind.
- The Personal Computer was invented and opened up a seemingly endless stream of possibilities that we are still discovering.
- We have begun harnessing the power of our own star, a ball of gas 93 million miles away from us.
- The Internet was created, connecting the world together for the first time in human history. No longer are our minds limited to the books we have available. No longer are we limited to what's available in our communities, our cities, even our countries. We have the world at our fingertips. In what seems like an instant, centuries worth of human knowledge became accessible and as individuals we now have the opportunity to explore that knowledge, build upon it, and use it to better ourselves, our species, and our environment. Satoshi knew this, and took advantage of that opportunity, and out of it came Bitcoin. Which I personally believe is on the same level as those things above, in terms of what it can do for mankind's future.
Now coinsider this, those that came before us, no matter their knowledge, ambition, or inspiration, were still limited as to what they could accomplish by their lifespan. Science is currently challenging this limit. Some of you reading right now may be the first humans in history to live beyond your "natural years". Some of us may very well live to see the last satoshi be mined come 2140.
Many people may relegate the thought of this possible future to science fiction, or dismiss it because they believe it wont be here in their lifetimes. Some may not even allow themselves to see the point. I am not writing this to reach out to those people. I am writing this to reach out to those of you that are able comprehend the velocity of technology, and the speed at which scientific breakthroughs are occurring.
Some of us may not only see this entire Bitcoin experiment play out, but we may have the opportunity to be a part of it, and shape it in its entirety, from the mining of the first bitcoin, to the mining of the very last Satoshi.
Assuming humanity continues at its current pace, overcoming our own natural lifespan is not only possible, but eventually inevitable. In our society today, the speed at which scientific discovery happens is largely governed by the money available to fund any given research project.
As a strong believer in Bitcoin, it only seems logical to me that we have a responsibility to use this amazing technology we have been given to help make this next breakthrough happen. To quote Isaac Newton: "If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants."
Every day, approximately 100,000 people die from diseases caused by aging. These diseases aren't pretty to discuss, many are painful, physically and emotionally. It is quite likely the largest contributor to human suffering in our lifetime. Not only for those that die, but for the loved ones they leave behind. We do our best to treat these diseases, but until we can slow down or stop the thing that causes them, aging, these treatments fight a battle they can't win.
Whether it be for yourself, your children, or for the human beings that have yet to be born, I am asking for the Bitcoin communities help in using this amazing technology as a catalyst to help create a future free from the diseases of age by donating to SENS Research Foundation:
http://sens.org/ - a 501(c)(3) public charity dedicated to furthering this research. They already accept bitcoin donations on their donation page:
http://sens.org/donateInstead of just saying thanks to Satoshi, and all the giants who came before him, I propose we show our appreciation by using his monetary breakthrough to fund and ignite the next biological breakthrough.
