Why I Wrote Down the Rabbit Hole
If you're a fan of this blog, you’re no doubt familiar with my first nonfiction book, Down the Rabbit Hole: Your Guide to Crypto Literacy in the Digital Age. In this entry in my Why I… series, I want to share some casual thoughts about why I spent three years writing it.
I explained why a bit in the opening chapter:
“As I fell down the crypto rabbit hole in early 2021, I discovered a calling. It was to help onboard the average person to this new digital frontier. I’m compelled to equip as many people as possible with the foundational knowledge, skills, and behaviors that will become increasingly necessary to be digitally literate. I’ve built a career helping people succeed as their work underwent a digital transformation and overcome technical challenges inherent in working with computers, complicated software, and complex networks. When I ask myself, “What do I want to build in this industry?” the answer is a learning program and community to help teach how to use this technology properly.
My first step toward that goal is The Guide.”
My primary motivation in life is to help people. As a technologist, I've seen how technology can level the playing field. It can provide a chance to overhaul systems that benefit incumbents more than the average person. As the rich get richer, the rest are getting left behind. Barring a physical revolution, a good bet to change the status quo is through sheer innovation. Just like how automobiles rendered the horse largely obsolete, so too can crypto loosen the reins that these traditional power structures use to control how things work.
Crypto rails provide a chance to start anew. With smart contracts, we can program equity, fairness, privacy, and economic freedom in a trusted, unchangeable way. Eventually, power corrupts, but with smart contracts and code, there’s a stronger chance of staving off corruption. It enables us to create systems that last over time. Systems that are more resistant to the whims of ego.
Now, does all this sound like utopic, fluffy bunnies stuff to you? Sure, the same could be said for any vision that hasn’t been fully executed. The technology is just new. It's not there yet. I'm confident over time that it can get there, just like what happened with email, the internet, phones, etc.
As I think about helping people in the technology space, especially with my background (having trained hundreds of thousands of adults to do their job using technology over the last 20 years), it became clear that I needed to focus my attention on explaining crypto in simple terms. Demystify it (as overused is that term is), clarify it, and help anyone looking down the rabbit hole know what it is and what it isn't. It’s a helpful guide, devoid of politics, bias, media sensationalism, and FUD.
The world is in a wellness emergency. My mission to help others is not limited to crypto. I chose to start with crypto because I’m deeply interested in it. The process of writing it helped me understand the tech, and the industry, and how it all fits into the broader macroeconomic picture. It was a challenging, fun, and rewarding journey. It’s not perfect, but I'm proud of how it turned out. I hope it helps people use the tech safely, avoid scams, and improve their lives. If it creates a little economic freedom, gives people a little more agency over how they spend their time, then the three years creating it were worth it.
If you haven't checked the book out yet, please grab the sample! Our sign up to Nesberg’s Newsletter, where I’ll send free discount codes out at some point. The prime audience for this book is people who are intrigued by crypto. They're standing at that metaphorical rabbit hole, debating jumping in, or maybe they jumped in. They’ve turned toward the technology. If that's you or anyone you know, send it their way. I want to help them, and the guide is my first step.
We’re gonna make it.
- rtn
Richard Nesberg | Author of "Down the Rabbit Hole: Your Guide to Crypto Literacy"
📖 Order the book: [Amazon Link]
🌐 Visit: nesberg.com
📝 RTN Blog: nesberg.com/blog
🎁 SHARE THIS Know someone who'd benefit from this? Send it to them!