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As we navigate the progressive crossing from web2 into web3, knee deep in the old boat as we build the new, we must take on more than a technological evolution; I believe we require a fundamental shift in our collective psyche. Genuinely evolving ourselves into web3 calls for a radical departure from old paradigms and a welcoming of new ways of thinking and interacting. It requires us to confront and release the baggage of scarcity mindsets, extractive, alienating behaviours and shadow based impulses. If we are to build anew, our intentions need to come from a higher place.
A broader enablement of individuals and communities to untangle the emotional and psychological traumas we have personally and collectively amassed is imperative. The transformation of our internal landscapes could then create the external socio-economic and technological upgrades we actually want to see in the world. By addressing our inner resistance and fears, we can unlock the potential of rebuilding with higher intent, creativity, and positive impact. This isn't just about a technological update; it's a call to redefine values, to prioritize collective well-being together with individual advancement, and to genuinely evolve ourselves to a place where technology serves as an extension of deeper human understanding and thriving.
The Myth of Normal
“Whether we realize it or not, it is our woundedness, or how we cope with it, that dictates much of our behavior, shapes our social habits, and informs our ways of thinking about the world.”― Gabor Maté, The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness and Healing in a Toxic Culture
If you read the intro and maybe feel current systems aren't all that linked to our psyches, think again. In his book "The Myth of Normal", Dr. Gabor Maté shows how current societal norms and economic structures have been deeply influenced and in turn are influencing our individual and collective health, with definitions of 'normal' often grossly overlooking or even exacerbating mental health issues and general ill-being.
“Work pressures, multitasking, social media, news updates, multiplicities of entertainment sources—these all induce us to become lost in thoughts, frantic activities, gadgets, meaningless conversations. We are caught up in pursuits of all kinds that draw us on not because they are necessary or inspiring or uplifting, or because they enrich or add meaning to our lives, but simply because they obliterate the present.”
These are the markers of alienation and potentially pathological systems design. This is web2. Among psychologists there is a wide-ranging consensus about what our higher core needs consist of:
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belonging, relatedness, or connectedness;
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autonomy: a sense of control in one's life;
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mastery or competence;
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genuine self-esteem, not dependent on achievement, attainment, acquisition, or valuation by others;
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trust: a sense of having the personal and social resources needed to sustain one through life;
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purpose, meaning, transcendence: knowing oneself as part of something larger than isolated, self-centered concerns, whether that something is overtly spiritual or simply universal/humanistic, or, given our evolutionary origins, Nature.
How many of these are currently fitting in the 'normal' realities the vast majority of the world operates in?
A Healing Path
At the heart of the transformative journey into web3 is the recognition that healing is not a nice to have, it's a must have. I am not talking about the conventional notion of therapy confined to a talk therapist's office once a week but about a much broader, more inclusive understanding of healing. It acknowledges the complexity of human experience and the multitude of ways in which healing can happen. From art and nature therapy, mindfulness and CBT to psychedelics, somatic practices and community support systems - the paths to working on oneself are as varied as we are different.
This broader view of therapy is key in helping us navigate the emotional and psychological upheavals that typically come with digging up psycho-emotional dirt. It is through self work that we can alleviate the myopics of personal and collective traumas, clearing the way for a future where we actually thrive. Healing, in this context, is an act of evolutionary change, purposefully aligning our internal landscapes with external breakthroughs. It's about seeding and cultivating an inner foundation from which we can truly build and interact with this world from a place of integrity and higher intention.
Inner ♾️ Outer
As we address our personal and collective fears and blocks, we can unlock a potential to genuinely change things vs replicating the same patterns in a different environment. The societies and economies we build are a clear reflection of the conscious and unconscious conditioning, beliefs and habits we live with - sometimes for generations. But those things are not immutable. They are not, unlike this tech, permanent records. They can be unlearnt, changed, improved. Crypto is offering us a canvas to project our higher ideals on—a carte blanche where what we build can serve as means to improve not just economic design but (ideally) human thriving. What are we going to project?
Action
This is my call to start on the most critical journey of all—the trip within. To become aware of who we are and how we behave and why. To go down into the pits of our being, to look the past in the eye. To come out from the depth and the dark with a vision of the future that is rooted in the highest aspects of our own selves and who we are as an intricate part of humanity. The path to unlocking the actual promise of this world is the one that goes through the underbelly of our motivations, of our beliefs and our blind spots.
To shine a light on it all and to evolve it is the true transition into web3. Then we can co-create a future that reflects our highest aspirations for technology and humanity alike.