Aleks Svetski is the host of the Wake Up Podcast, and the author of “The UnCommunist Manifesto” and the new book “The Bushido of Bitcoin.”
He reminds us not to underestimate the power of sound money on the way we live, as men.
Topics:
Testosterone as an On Demand Hormone
Justice, Mercy, and Grace
Masculine and Feminine Virtues in Society
The Cultural Need for a Warrior Class
The Transformative Power of Beauty
Why Courage Is Faith in Action
Self-Control, Restraint, and Excellence
October 2024 Men's Retreat
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Amidst the chaos of our modern era, it’s more important than ever that Christian men gather face-to-face to build fellowship. Even though the name of my podcast is changing, I still believe in that mission very much.
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Monologue:
Alright, listen, I get it—some of you guys aren’t the biggest fans of my Bitcoin podcasts. But here’s why I keep doing them: Bitcoin might be the most important technology today that people don’t fully understand.
You’ll hear about it on CNBC when Bitcoin pumps—that means the price jumps up dramatically. And of course, you’ll hear about it when it dumps too—when it crashes (which, by the way, it does... but then it rises again). Maybe you’ve heard your friends say things like, “Bro, you gotta get orange-pilled,” or “Number go up!” Little phrases like that. But those bro-isms are just a way to express a lot of excitement about something really special.
There are a lot of reasons Bitcoin has this effect. One is the elegance of Satoshi Nakamoto’s solution to a tough problem—there’s a beauty to it, conceptually. Then, there’s the global effort happening right now, from Bitcoin mining, to infrastructure, to storage, to next-gen transaction systems. Thousands of smart men—and yes, many women—are pouring themselves into this work, trying to free America, and the world, from the grip of the Federal Reserve system.
But one of the coolest, yet quietest, aspects of Bitcoin is the effect it has on men AS men. When they grasp what Bitcoin means for who God made them to be, it’s transformative.
Now, I need to be careful here. Because in the Bitcoin community, it’s easy for the language to get a little hyperbolic—sometimes even idolatrous. I remember back in 2021, hearing a podcast where a group of Bitcoin guys were asking, “Is Bitcoin Jesus?” Even back then, I was like, “Alright guys, take it easy.” So, that’s not what I’m saying.
But, when a man realizes there’s a technology out there that guarantees his hard-earned money won’t get inflated away or stolen—it changes how you think about things.
So, hold on. You’re telling me I can learn a skill, make money from that skill, put it in an online wallet, and that money will only grow in value, not shrink? The government can’t tax or confiscate it as long as I keep it in that wallet, without converting it to dollars? And no matter how much the Federal Reserve prints, it’ll still be there, untouched, never diluted?
This is a massive paradigm shift for men, who’ve been trained to think they have to earn a salary or somehow outpace inflation—something that’s basically impossible unless you’re a high-level investor.
And maybe I’m crazy, but I’m the kind of radical, right-wing Christian extremist who wants to live in a world where a father can support his family on one income, and trust that the government and its agencies will protect his family’s savings.
Now, we don’t live in that world anymore. But if we did, it would change how we think about our lives in ways our grandfathers took for granted.
So it’s worth asking: if we *could* live in that world, even for a moment, what would happen? How would we, as men, be different? *That* is the power of Bitcoin. And that’s why I love it—and why I still believe that you’ll love it too.
Which brings me to my guest this week, Aleks Svetski. He’s been on the podcast before.
The last time he was here, we discussed his book *The UnCommunist Manifesto*, and we had a great conversation—one that still sticks with me. Aleks and I bring up some of that in our talk today.
But this time, he’s back to discuss his newest book, *The Bushido of Bitcoin*. Bushido was the warrior code of the samurai, focused on men embodying virtue, discipline, and honor. Those are exactly the kinds of things men start thinking about when they dive into Bitcoin.
Now, I know it might sound crazy. But imagine: if you knew you could get ahead by being honest, working hard, and delivering real value, and the economic system would *reward* you for that—how would that change how you see the world?
Obviously, we’re all accountable to the Word of God, and hopefully, we’re all pursuing truth for its own inherent goodness—not for some external reward. But doesn’t it get exhausting when the incentives seem to run the *other* way? What if that wasn’t the case? What if we could all make more money by being honest craftsmen rather than dishonest superstars—like, say, P Diddy? What if, at least when it came to our money, the incentives flowed downhill to virtue, instead of uphill to vice?
Well, Bitcoin fixes this. And that thought experiment is what inspired Aleks to write his new book, which we’re about to discuss.
Hopefully, this podcast will convince just *one more* person to take a closer look at something I think is pretty cool.
I mean, it better—because the Bitcoin podcasts will keep coming until morale improves.
In this conversation, Aleks and I discuss:
Testosterone as an On Demand Hormone
Justice, Mercy, and Grace
Masculine and Feminine Virtues in Society
The Cultural Need for a Warrior Class
The Transformative Power of Beauty
Why Courage Is Faith in Action
Self-Control, Restraint, and Excellence
If you enjoy this podcast, thank you! Please leave us a 5-star rating on Spotify, and a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts.
If this is your first time here, welcome! I release new episodes every week about the Christian counterculture, masculine virtue, and family.
[…]
Before we dive in, one more quick note: Aleks and I have spoken, and he’s seriously exploring Christianity, but he’s still on that road home. So, there are a couple of swear words in this episode. If you’ve got kids around, maybe send them off to bed with a good book. And you can tell them I gave Aleks a hard time for it and told him to give himself a slap on the wrist with a ruler. I’m pretty sure he did it.
And now, please welcome this week’s guest on the podcast, the author of *The Bushido of Bitcoin*, Aleks Svetski.
