The Legend of the Creator and the Destroyer: The Creators and Destroyers of the Community

Communities are born from legends and perish because of them, while the survival of legends depends on those legendary creators who bear the heavy responsibility of promoting their development.

Author: Bryan Daugherty

Compiled by: Block unicorn

Legends are stories, symbols, and collective memories shared by a community that tightly bind the community together. Legends cannot be bought; to ensure that a legend endures, there must be a community fully invested in its evolution. The most powerful legends are open invitations to the community, inviting them to co-create a mission and destiny, while the nameless heroes who safeguard it are the builders of the legend. Their motivations vary; some do it just "for fun," while others are driven by a strong sense of mission deep within. Regardless of the reason, what unites all legend builders is that they view the legends they create as a contribution to something beyond themselves.

At the same time, there are legend breakers, who are the antithesis of legend makers. Legend breakers are self-driven, viewing lore as a resource to extract energy from, rather than an object to contribute. They may outwardly resemble legend makers, but over time, their true motives will be revealed. Legend breakers do not see themselves as part of the story, but as the story itself, and will not hesitate to betray the legend if it can be further for personal gain.

Since legend-making is a new concept, we must remain vigilant and draw a clear distinction between story-makers and story-breakers. By setting these boundaries, we can more easily distinguish between the two when they are crossed, which is the main motivation for writing this article. Of all the characteristics that make up these two opposing forces, the most important thing to remember is that successful legend-makers are the guardians of culture, and they forge lasting cultural memories; Legend breakers, on the other hand, are parasites who do not see the end of their desires and suck the life of the legend until it loses its vitality.

What is Legend Maker

Legend-makers are individuals who listen, embody, and work with the community to expand myths. As I said in my last article, legend makers "identify emerging ideas, understand their historical context, and absorb collective emotions to weave these into a coherent and engaging narrative that invites others to contribute." They are prophets of legends. Skilled legend-makers don't dictate directions; They listen, acting as stewards of the legend, while remaining responsive to the natural evolution of the legend." It's important to emphasize here that the legend maker is not the loudest or most prominent person in the room; They are very careful about what they say and do, often working quietly behind the scenes, keeping the flame burning when no one is looking. Their words and deeds are different, but they are all rooted in some common characteristics.

Legend creators are naturally endowed with a strong sense of perception and intuition. They understand the historical context of legends and the powerful past forces that make them relevant. They can read the emotions and feelings of those around them, providing information for their next actions, and can discern what motivates them to take meaningful actions. Legend creators intuitively perceive the essence of myths, identifying profound moments and actions both big and small, and amplifying them. The perception of legend creators is essentially driven by a vision, viewing legends as a vivid story unfolding over a long arc of time.

Legend creators are born selfless and noble in character. They set aside their ego, acting as humble stewards of the community, serving the legend rather than having the legend serve them. Legend creators understand that the legend is a collective effort shaped by many, constantly evolving under the influence of broader narratives and emotional currents. They know that actions speak louder than words; being famous is not important, and they let their contributions speak for themselves.

The legend creators take action proactively. They act without needing direction from others, feeling a sense of responsibility for the development of the legend. Proactive action can take many forms, such as symbolic (creating memes, solidifying icons), narrative (writing, recording important moments, creating characters), ideological (public stances, values), or ritualistic (events, habits, repeated gestures). Skilled legend creators are very aware of when to take active action and when to step back. Being proactive does not mean forcefully pushing the legend; it means stepping up at the right moment. The more proactive actions are taken in creation, the higher the density of the legend, making it richer.

The creators of legends possess patience and resilience, recognizing that legends take time to take root in the hearts of the community. Any good legend springs from experiences shaped by connections with one another, whether it be laughter, struggles, or victories. There are no shortcuts to building a legend; it is by no means accomplished overnight. It must be constructed brick by brick, step by step, over time, to form a fortress that can withstand the harshest conditions.

Ultimately, no matter what they do or how they act, the legend creators see themselves as a part of the legend, just like a note in a grand symphony or a stitch in a mythological tapestry, insignificant when viewed alone but crucial to the overall form.

Satoshi Nakamoto: The Archetype of the Legend-Maker

Satoshi Nakamoto is not only the founder of Bitcoin, but he also set the standard for the subsequent legends. No matter how technologically impressive Bitcoin is, without the legends that attract a group of steadfast believers after its birth, Bitcoin would not have survived.

Satoshi Nakamoto keenly recognized the historical context for the creation of Bitcoin. The cypherpunk movement of the 1990s provided the ideological foundation for Bitcoin, sowing the dreams of achieving freedom through code and the belief that cryptography is a tool for individual and collective sovereignty. From that era, projects like b-money and Bit Gold laid the conceptual groundwork for digital currency; however, it wasn't until the double-spending problem was solved that Bitcoin became computationally and economically viable. By combining all advancements in cryptography and distributed systems while remaining true to the cypherpunk spirit, Satoshi had all the elements needed to create a trustless, self-sufficient digital value transfer protocol. All he needed next was the right catalyst.

The financial crisis of 2008 became an opportunity. The government bailed out financial giants instead of ordinary people and printed trillions of dollars through quantitative easing. These actions led to widespread disillusionment and distorted incentive mechanisms; profits were privatized while losses were socialized. The systemic failure of the financial system and public trust in broader institutions created ideal conditions for Satoshi Nakamoto to release the white paper on Halloween 2008.

Satoshi Nakamoto's vision is clear: to create a peer-to-peer, decentralized alternative to state-controlled currency. There are no banks, governments, or intermediaries, only people trading through cryptographic trust. There are no central servers, no individuals held accountable, just an open-source network that transcends borders, where anyone can participate.

This participation is not limited to running full nodes or contributing code; it also includes actively engaging in the community and social aspects of Bitcoin. For example, the Bitcoin forum Bitcoin Talk is where Satoshi Nakamoto started, sharing his thoughts and reasoning, and began to guide the surrounding community to collectively establish cultural norms and refine the core principles of Bitcoin.

In the forum, the philosophical foundation promoted by Satoshi Nakamoto and the degree to which it has been accepted by the community is as important as his code, if not more so. The hard cap of 21 million bitcoins has implanted a culture of scarcity, forever protecting the community from the tyranny of fiat currency and central bank money printing without public consent. Moreover, the principles of trustlessness, sovereignty, permissionlessness, neutrality, antifragility, and pragmatism were rooted in Bitcoin culture early on, laying the groundwork for its evolution in the years to come.

By holding himself to the highest standards, Satoshi Nakamoto became a role model for others to emulate. Satoshi remained anonymous and never sought attention for himself. "We are all Bitcoin" has become a common slogan not by coincidence; it is exactly what Satoshi hoped for: everyone participates in its development, and Bitcoin is greater than any individual. When he handed Bitcoin over to the community, he created space for new legendary creators to propel Bitcoin into the future.

The 1 million unused bitcoins in Satoshi Nakamoto's wallet are his most powerful declaration; it doesn't matter whether they are worth billions of dollars, as they are to be measured against the escape pod he created—a fiat currency system. If these 1 million bitcoins were sold, it would be contrary to Nakamoto's vision, destroying bitcoin and making him a legend destroyer.

Since Satoshi Nakamoto quietly left Bitcoin and society, he has become a mythical figure for millions of people around the world. People seek guidance from his actions and ultimately become the model that all subsequent legend creators follow.

Legend Breakers and Their Consequences

Legend destroyers are individuals who exploit and distort legends for their own selfish interests, manipulating the communities they are in to achieve their goals. They are false prophets, masquerading as saviors, presenting themselves in a near-mythical manner, only to ultimately fall in a dramatic way. The cryptocurrency space has repeatedly shown how susceptible people are to the influence of legend destroyers. Human nature yearns to follow a "savior"; everyone is searching for something to follow, and this tendency is often exploited. If we want the industry to grow and evolve, we must be more adept at identifying legend destroyers and have the courage to expose them.

Legend Breakers are self-centered, prioritizing their own interests. They are driven by personal glory and care most about how others perceive them. Their thinking is centered around "I" rather than "we," and their language is filled with self-reference. For example, they might say, "Look at me, I am a visionary," instead of "Look at what we are building together."

Legend Breakers are shortsighted opportunists and toxic mercenaries. They only follow the legend when it benefits them, and once a better opportunity arises, they quickly betray. Legend Breakers have no principles or steadfast beliefs, and they can spout nonsense to please the crowd. They do not build on myths; rather, they exploit them, hijacking legends to serve their personal interests.

The performance of the legend destroyers appears rigid and insincere. Their words sound robotic, hollow and superficial, lacking substantive content. They excessively optimize metrics and dramatic effects, rather than focusing on the essence or naturally listening to the direction of the legends. Ultimately, the legend destroyers attempt to quickly extract the resources of the myths, leaving the community in ruins and chaos. Meanwhile, the legend creators build myths over a long period, allowing those in the community who are patient enough to grow and elevate together.

SBF: The Ultimate Legend Destroyer

One of the most notorious legend breakers of recent years has been Sam Bankman-Fried, or SBF for short. From the framework of lore-making, he did a lot of the right things to build lore for himself and FTX/Alamaeda. Coming from prestigious schools at MIT and Jane Street, he initially entered the crypto space by arbitraging Bitcoin in Asia. He presents himself as an unkempt genius founder, sleeping on a bean bag chair and living frugally, but it's all a well-choreographed show. SBF's philosophical framework of effective altruism emphasizes doing the greatest good in any way, placing him and his actions on the moral high ground. The lore that follows him and the lore he constructs is accompanied by various memes and iconic events, such as him "saving" Sushiswap from Chef Nomi's crisis, or declaring that "he wants to buy all SOL for $3" and so on.

SBF raised hundreds of millions from venture capital firms like SoftBank, Sequoia Capital, Paradigm, Temasek, and Blackstone to gain external recognition for FTX, establishing himself as a legitimate spokesperson for power institutions. He met with regulators and testified in Congress, positioning himself as the "acceptable face" of cryptocurrency. Crypto Twitter has been captivated by his myth, with accounts like Autism Capital beautifying his image and efforts over the years.

However, the signs of destruction have long been evident. Firstly, SBF rebuilt the system that Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies aimed to disrupt through his business and political activities, and shaped a cult of personality around himself. Ironically, he befriended the institutions that Satoshi Nakamoto tried to distance from, yet many chose to ignore this due to being attracted by his charm or for their own interests. SBF's trading and structure are opaque, especially the relationship between Alameda and FTX, which are essentially the same entity.

From the venue naming in Miami to his face plastered on ads in San Francisco, claiming "Investing in crypto is for a positive global impact," SBF mimics legitimacy while undermining the myths built around cryptocurrency. He wraps himself in the language of altruism, decentralization, and ethics as a disguise to further personal and political agendas.

As a legendary destroyer, SBF viewed cryptocurrency as an industry to be exploited rather than a space to be built. He used the legend to empower himself and his inner circle, yet left many in bankruptcy when FTX filed for bankruptcy in November 2022. SBF was convicted of multiple crimes and is currently serving a 25-year federal prison sentence, along with being ordered to forfeit over $11 billion in assets for misappropriating billions of dollars in FTX customer deposits to support Alameda, purchase real estate, make political donations, and more. We are fortunate that he was caught; had SBF continued, he could have become the Trojan horse that destroyed everything built in this space.

Conclusion

Communities live and die because of legends, and legends depend on the creators of legends who are tasked with driving them. Legends have always existed; It's just that now we're starting to define it and are still differentiating between legend makers and destroyers. Legends are the lifeblood of the community, the creators of legends are the sages who animate them, and the legend breakers are the vampires who drain their life force.

Legends are never neutral; they are always in a state of being shaped and molded by the community. Without excellent legend creators to defend the legend, it can easily be exploited. The future of any project is not driven by code or funds raised, but by those committed to building its mythology.

Today, the image of entrepreneurs is romanticized, much like athletes. But we don't need more entrepreneurs raising huge amounts of funding or trying to finance their ventures. What we need are more caretakers and weavers of legends, guardians of myths, and humble shepherds who do their duty to keep the legends alive and resist the external forces that seek to plunder them. To do this, you don't need to appear in the most dazzling way, and I don't even encourage that; to be a legend creator, you just need to care and take on your role accordingly.

In the end, the continuation of each legend is not because it is loudly proclaimed, but because enough people silently choose to inherit it and protect it from the harm of legend destroyers. Like a pulse, legends continue to beat through their communities, memes, icons, symbols, and classics, extending into the future.