For the past five years or so there has been a particularly invasive cancer in the progression of Bitcoin. This cancer is the debate of the base protocol. For now we can dub the “Protocol Wars.” This war is fought by those who see Bitcoin as a store of value vs those who see Bitcoin as peer-to-peer cash. Or so we have been told.

When fighting a war it is crucially important to define what victory is. From victory we can work backwards and figure out key details such as defining the opposition, the battleground, strategy, etc. Without a clear sense of what victory is and how to achieve that, defeat is inevitable.

For now we will assume most people in the crypto community generally define victory, in relation to Bitcoin, as a means of economic liberation. In working backwards from this definition, many view the base protocol as being synonymous with victory. This is a crucial miscalculation. The protocol is downstream of the marketplace. Not the other way around.

Take for example our Keynesian friends at _______ University. They can argue all day what the proper price of corn should be. Both sides will make compelling arguments. They try to influence their peers, lobby “Congressmen,” campaign for “Election,” pass “laws,” but no matter how hard they try, price is determined by the marketplace. All their efforts of persuasion, and in some cases forceful decree, are simply wasted resources.

The base protocol of Bitcoin is no different. Take for example block space. Block space is a market good no different from corn. Artificial limits of block space by decree simply cannot be sustained. The limit will be set wherever the market deems it should be set at. Whether you believe it should be at 1mb, or uncapped, does not matter. Your opinion is no less irrelevant than the congressman’s opinion regarding corn production. Much like corn, Bitcoin protocol is downstream of the marketplace.

The true protocol war is not fought between BTC and BCH. It is fought between those which see Bitcoin as a tool to liberate humanity vs those who see Bitcoin as a threat to their existence. The miscalculation of defining protocol as synonymous with victory has led to friendly fire between the BTC and BCH camps. Instead of building the underlying market for cryptocurrency which shapes the downstream protocol, nearly all effort has been expended upon artificial control of protocol in attempt to shape the marketplace. Through this friendly fire, user adoption has been stunted, precious resources have been wasted, and those who see Bitcoin as a threat to their existence are winning.

The most recent battle in the protocol wars is no better exhibited than in the BCH community. Instead of devoting resources to building the underlying marketplace which will shape the downstream protocol, all resources have shifted to fighting for artificial control of the protocol. The true casualty is not BCH-SV, but instead all the wasted resources fighting a battle which cannot be won. BCH-ABC will celebrate a victory which is a loss in disguise. The true loss is the time and man-power devoted to fighting a battle that can have no winner.

The crypto community must acknowledge this relationship. Each cryptocurrency is an experiment. Its success will be determined by the outcome, not by debate. Build the apps, build the user base, build the merchant base, and the protocol will follow. Forget all the bickering. Forget all the drama. Just build, experiment, and the truth will prevail. The market don’t lie.