Securing your wealth with Bitcoin is an amazing way to increase your personal freedom. But you can still go further on the road to Self-Sovereignty
We think it’s fairly safe to assume that you subscribe to our newsletter because just like us, you place tremendous value on your freedom.
And if you spend any reasonable amount of time in the Bitcoin community, you’ll notice that freedom is a concept that gets mentioned frequently. Many people even refer to Bitcoin as ‘Freedom Money’.
But what does ‘freedom’ actually mean? How do we define it? And most importantly, how do we pursue it?
If you take the time to consider and reflect on these questions, then you’re likely to discover that there isn’t a concrete definition of freedom that everyone can agree upon.
Freedom means different things to different people. In fact, the more you ponder what freedom truly means, the more you realise that it’s a deeply philosophical question that can be interpreted in a variety of different ways depending on who you ask and the context it’s applied to.
So, in this week’s article, we want to explore a few of the threads most common amongst people’s interpretations of freedom so that we can explore what you can do to most effectively pursue it.
It should come as no surprise that one of the main tenants of freedom that most people can agree on is the concept of economic freedom.
Economic freedom represents the ability for an individual to have complete autonomy over how they choose to allocate their resources, time, and labour, free from interference or coercion. Economic freedom also means that people should have the right to decide where they work, what they produce and consume, and how they allocate and store their wealth.
Unfortunately, economic freedom is consistently curtailed by Governments and banks all over the world. Over time they have progressively diminished even our most basic economic freedoms and you can find evidence of this everywhere. In Canada for example, people found themselves locked out of their bank accounts simply for donating their money to support peaceful protests to push back against policies enacted by their own Government. They were banned from accessing their own property, blocked from accessing the fruits of their own labour.
And in places like the UK, banks frequently restrict customers from withdrawing money from their accounts in cash without first providing a thorough explanation as to what they intend to use it for. If your bank considers your explanation to be ‘unsatisfactory’, then they simply refuse you access to your own money.
Removing economic freedoms in this way can have a devastating effect on society. When economic activities are heavily regulated or controlled by Government, it often leads to corruption and cronyism. Those with political connections gain an unfair advantage, while ordinary citizens and businesses are left at a disadvantage.
If left un-checked for long enough, this curtailment of economic freedom will eventually lead to social unrest. People increasingly become disenfranchised as unfair economic systems create an environment where it is impossible to improve your circumstances and quality of life. Eventually, frustrated by being forced to participate in a game they cannot win, people resort to protesting, strikes and even violence.
Another important component of freedom is the ability to live your life free from oppression via unjust laws and discrimination. True freedom means the ability to express yourself freely, associate with others and participate in the political process without being punished for doing so.
Unfortunately, we have also seen these political and social freedoms heavily encroached upon by Governments as well.
A good example of this can be seen in the actions taken by Governments during the Covid pandemic. All over the world people found themselves barred from engaging with society. You were told you must stay at home and that interacting with others in public or even in your own private residence was prohibited and strict penalties were enforced if you did not comply.
And since then, many countries have witnessed political and social freedoms decline even further still.
The UK once again acts as a terrifying example of just how far Governments are willing to go when it comes to abusing your freedoms. The new Labour Government in the UK has recently gone as far as making a direct attack on free speech with citizens receiving prison sentences as harsh as four years simply for sharing opinions on social media that the authorities deem unacceptable.
When tyrannical Governments are willing to discriminate against you and lock you up simply for expressing an opinion they don’t like, then it’s impossible to claim that you still retain any meaningful semblance of true freedom.
This constant curtailment of your economic, social and political freedoms eventually leads to a lack of what is known as ‘internal freedom’.
Internal freedom represents your internal state of mind. Having internal freedom means you can live free from fear, anxiety and other emotional or psychological constraints that limit your ability to live a full and rewarding life. When Governments exert power to freeze your wealth and even imprison you for ‘wrong think’ it greatly diminishes this internal freedom.
How can you live a life free from anxiety when your government might leave you penniless for sending a financial transaction that they deem unacceptable?
How can you live a life free from psychological constraints when you can be imprisoned simply for expressing your political views or associating with the ‘wrong’ people?
As Governments continue to abuse their power in ways that encroach on your basic freedoms, they effectively imprison you without ever having to put you behind bars. By making you uncertain about what you can or can’t say, who you can associate with and how you can express yourself economically, they don’t need to imprison you physically, because they have already succeeded in imprisoning your mind.
When it comes to increasing your freedom and emancipating yourself from the shackles of tyranny, then securing your economic freedom is an essential component of increasing your options and your agency.
And of course, the best weapon at your disposal for achieving economic freedom is Bitcoin.
Bitcoin is a powerful tool that gives you an effective way to protect your essential private property rights. If held in secure and FULL self-custody, Bitcoin will give you a way to store your wealth free from the risk of debasement or confiscation. You can transact freely with anyone you wish without the risk of your transactions being censored and you don’t need to ask anyone’s permission.
This is a far cry from wondering whether your bank account might be frozen or having to justify to your bank why you want to access your money or what you are going to spend it on. Securing economic freedom is a top priority not only because it allows you to allocate your hard-earned resources as you see fit, but because it also strips those who would seek to control you of a lot of their power.
But is adopting Bitcoin enough? Can you really achieve true freedom by simply adopting sound money?
Well of course we think it’s one of the most important things you can do to secure your freedom. But we would also like to encourage you to think bigger. Much bigger. With this article we hope to have demonstrated that true freedom transcends simply being economically free.
But what other steps can you take to increase the level of freedom you and your family enjoys? How much further can you go to become fully self-sovereign?
Being able to control your wealth with zero counterparty risk or government interference is powerful. But controlling you economically is not the only method by which tyrannical regimes exert control over you and encroach on your freedom.
As shown in the examples above, governments will also seek to control your movements, your speech and your freedom of association. They have no qualms about reshaping the society you live in to coerce your behaviour, your consumption and even influence the way you think and express yourself.
You can be a Bitcoiner with full control over your money but still very quickly find yourself living in a jurisdiction that no longer shares your values or provides an environment that allows you to live life on your terms.
You might find yourself living in a society where:
The many ways in which governments seek to control you is almost endless, and despite being in full control of your wealth by holding Bitcoin, you can still find yourself living in a jurisdiction where living life on your terms is no longer feasible. When you find yourself in this situation you can quickly find yourself feeling trapped and with limited options.
Thankfully, there are ways you can mitigate these risks and ensure that if your government encroaches too far, that you have a way to reassert yourself and maintain the freedom to live life on your terms.
And the best way to do that?
Secure a ‘Plan B Residency’ in a jurisdiction that is more friendly and more accepting of your values and that, should the need arise, allows you to move you and your family somewhere safe where you can continue to build the life you want.
A lot of people never explore the idea of jurisdictional arbitrage because they assume that relocating to another county requires a level of wealth that only the super-rich can afford.
But this isn’t strictly true.
Sure, if you want to go on a shopping spree to acquire multiple passports, then you can very quickly run up eye watering costs that are out of the reach of most ordinary citizens. But the good news is, there are other options available if you get a little more creative and put in the work.
If you put in the time and effort to explore the legal and financial systems of other countries, you will discover there are ways to secure the right to live in another country without needing to buy an expensive passport or up sticks and move your family out of your home country right away.
What a lot of people don’t realise is that you can secure the right to live permanently in a Bitcoin friendly jurisdiction without the costs or logistical requirements being needlessly prohibitive.
You don’t need to immediately leave your home country and ‘run away’ from anything. Like most people you probably want to stay where you are, close to family and friends in the community that you hold dear. Instead, we want you to realise that you can secure a ‘Plan B’ residency simply as a form of insurance that you can use should you ever need to.
A Plan B residency is a way for you to run toward a better quality of life in a place that allows you to maximise your freedom only in the event that the place you currently reside in no longer provides a safe environment.
We hope that today’s article has given you some food for thought and that it helps broaden your horizons when it comes to understanding what’s possible. Exploring your options fully is never a bad idea.
At the same time, we understand that for most people, navigating the legal and financial bureaucracy of a foreign country is intimidating and often pretty confusing. You’ll also find that you need to do a lot of research and have some trusted connections to get set up safely and properly.
With enough research, anything is possible. But at The Bitcoin Way we have done the hard work for you and removed all the ambiguity and uncertainty. Our team of experts have spent countless hours making sure that our clients can secure Plan B Residency quickly, securely and cost effectively.
Instead of being daunting and confusing, we make exploring your options fun and exciting and stand by you every step of the way.
If you’re ready to learn more about what’s possible, then all you need to do is book a free call with us. We’d love to show you just how free you can become.
We are pursuing maximum freedom and maximum sovereignty. We’d love for you to come with us.
Learn from our 25 years of cybersecurity expertise