Original Title: Lorebuilders and 'Breakers: The Creators and Destroyers of Communities Original author: @DeFiDave22 Original text compiled by: zhouzhou,

Editor’s Note: This article explores the distinction between cultural builders and cultural destroyers. Cultural builders, like Satoshi Nakamoto, promote cultural development through ideas, community involvement, and values, ensuring the sustainability of culture; whereas cultural destroyers, like SBF, pursue personal interests, exploiting culture for their own profit, ultimately undermining the foundation of the community and culture. The article emphasizes that the culture of a community is not shaped by a single event or individual, but rather by the collective efforts and preservation of each person. The power of culture stems from the defense and transmission of its values, rather than selfish manipulation and exploitation.

The following is the original content (the original content has been reorganized for better readability):

Lore is a community's shared story, system of symbols, and collective memory that tightly binds its members together. It cannot be bought; for Lore to endure, the community must be deeply engaged and drive its evolution. The most influential Lore is an open invitation to the community, allowing everyone to participate in shaping its mission and destiny. Those who quietly nurture these Lore behind the scenes are the builders of Lore.

Their motives vary: some people "just for fun," while others are driven by a strong inner mission. Regardless of the reason, all Lore builders share one common point - what they construct is not just for themselves, but for something greater than themselves.

At the same time, there is a completely opposite class of people to Lore builders: Lore breakers. They are self-driven and view Lore as a resource to draw energy from, rather than a cause worth contributing to. On the surface, they may appear similar to Lore builders and even behave in similar ways, but over time, their true motives will be revealed. Lore breakers do not see themselves as part of the story but rather as the center of the entire story – once personal interests are at stake, they do not hesitate to betray Lore.

As the concept of "Lore Construction" is still relatively new, we must remain vigilant and clearly delineate the boundaries between Lore builders and destroyers. It is precisely to establish this discerning boundary that this article was written. When this line is crossed, it becomes easier for us to identify who is constructing and who is consuming.

Among all the characteristics of these two opposing forces, the most noteworthy is that successful Lore builders are the guardians of cultural memory, shaping a lasting collective identity; while Lore destroyers, like parasites that attach themselves, only see immediate desires, continuously draining the vitality from the Lore until it is exhausted.

What is a Lore Builder

Lore builders are a class of individuals who listen, practice, and collaboratively extend mythological narratives with the community. As I mentioned in the previous article, Lore builders "can identify emerging ideas, understand their historical context, gain insight into collective emotions, and weave all of this into a coherent and engaging narrative." They are the prophets of Lore. Excellent Lore builders do not impose directions; they listen, protect, and remain sensitive and responsive to the natural evolution of Lore.

It is worth emphasizing that Lore builders are often not the loudest or most conspicuous person in the room. They speak and act with clear intentions, and many times they are the ones quietly toiling behind the scenes — when everyone else has stopped paying attention, it is they who keep that flame alive. While their specific words and actions may vary, they share a common core trait: being rooted in the values they believe in and uphold.

Lore builders are inherently endowed with a high degree of sensitivity and intuition. They understand the context of the Lore they construct in history, recognizing what past forces have given it meaning and strength in reality. They can perceive the emotions and atmosphere of the surrounding crowd, from which they determine the next direction, and insightfully discern what actions can truly resonate with the community.

Lore builders have an instinctive understanding of the "mythical sense" and can identify those profound moments and actions—whether grand or small—and amplify and spread them at the right time. Ultimately, the perception of Lore builders stems from a vision of the future; they see Lore as a living story that continuously evolves, slowly unfolding over the course of time.

Lore builders are essentially selfless, possessing a strong sense of integrity. They set aside their own interests and serve the community in a humble guardian's posture, serving Lore itself rather than using Lore as a tool for self-serving purposes. They are well aware that Lore is a collective creation shaped by many individuals, continuously evolving within larger narratives and emotional currents. They understand that actions speak far louder than words; whether they are well-known is not important, as they let their contributions speak for themselves.

Lore builders will take initiative. They act without needing instructions from others and feel a sense of responsibility for the advancement of Lore. This "proactivity" can take various forms: symbolic (such as creating memes, shaping iconic symbols), narrative (writing content, "canonizing" specific events, creating characters), ideological (taking public stances, establishing values), or ritualistic (holding events, forming habits, repeating certain actions).

An excellent Lore builder knows very well when to step up and when to wait for the right moment. Being proactive does not mean forcing the development of Lore, but rather stepping up at the right time. Every proactive move will continuously increase and expand the "density" of Lore.

The builders of Lore also possess patience and resilience. They understand that the formation and rooting of Lore takes time; it must resonate deeply within people's hearts and settle in the collective memory. All truly powerful Lore is gradually formed through shared experiences—whether laughter, struggle, or victory. There is no shortcut to establishing Lore; it is by no means an overnight process. It must be built brick by brick, piece by piece, accumulated through specific actions.

As long as time is long enough, a spiritual fortress that can withstand various external shocks will eventually take shape.

Ultimately, no matter what they did or how they acted, the Lore builders always saw themselves as part of Lore—like a note in a symphony, or a stitch in a mythical tapestry, seemingly insignificant when viewed alone, yet indispensable to the overall form.

Satoshi Nakamoto: A Paragon of Lore Builders

Satoshi Nakamoto is not only the founder of Bitcoin, but also set a standard for all subsequent Lore builders. No matter how amazing Bitcoin is technically, it would not have survived to this day without a Lore that could attract steadfast believers.

Satoshi Nakamoto was well aware of the historical background that gave rise to Bitcoin. He understood the significance of the 1990s "cypherpunk movement"—the ideological foundation of Bitcoin. This movement sowed the seeds of "fighting for freedom with code," emphasizing that cryptographic technology is a tool for achieving individual and collective sovereignty. During that era, projects like b-money and Bit Gold laid the theoretical groundwork for the concept of digital currency, but it wasn't until the "double-spending problem" was solved that digital currency truly became viable on both computational and economic levels.

Satoshi Nakamoto integrated these advances in cryptography and distributed systems, while staying true to the spirit of the cypherpunk ideology, ultimately creating a trustless, self-operating digital value transfer protocol. The final piece he needed was a suitable catalyst.

Then, the financial crisis erupted in 2008. Governments around the world chose to bail out financial giants while leaving ordinary people behind, and they printed money on a large scale through quantitative easing policies. These measures triggered widespread disillusionment and a distortion of incentive mechanisms—profits were privatized while losses were borne by society as a whole. The systemic failure of the financial system and the collapse of public trust in mainstream institutions created an ideal historical window for Satoshi Nakamoto to publish the Bitcoin white paper on Halloween in 2008.

Satoshi Nakamoto's vision is very clear: to create a peer-to-peer, decentralized system that replaces state-controlled currency. No longer relying on banks, governments, or intermediaries, it is solely based on transactions between individuals, secured by cryptographic trust mechanisms. There is no central server, nor any individual that can be held accountable, only an open-source network that transcends national borders, accessible to anyone.

This participation is not limited to running full nodes or contributing code; it also includes actively engaging in the community and social aspects of Bitcoin. For instance, the Bitcoin forum "Bitcoin Talk" is Satoshi Nakamoto's base — where he not only shares his thoughts and logic but also guides and nurtures a community that will collectively establish cultural norms and refine the core ideals of Bitcoin.

On this forum, the philosophical ideas advocated by Satoshi Nakamoto and the community's response to these ideas are of equal importance to the code he wrote.

For example, the total supply of Bitcoin is rigidly capped at 21 million, and this mechanism is deeply embedded in the cultural awareness of "scarcity," fundamentally protecting the community from the inflation tyranny brought about by the excessive issuance of fiat currencies—such printing practices have never truly received public consent. Furthermore, principles such as "decentralization," "sovereignty consciousness," "permissionless," "neutrality," "antifragility," and "pragmatism" were also established in the early culture of Bitcoin, laying the foundation for its future development.

Satoshi Nakamoto held himself to the highest standards, becoming a model for others to emulate. He remained anonymous and never sought personal attention. The often-quoted slogan "We are all Bitcoin" is no coincidence—it reflects Satoshi's original intention: to allow everyone to participate in the development of Bitcoin, as Bitcoin was destined from the very beginning to transcend any individual. The moment he handed Bitcoin over to the community was also the moment when a new generation of Lore builders was born, who would continue to drive Bitcoin into the future.

The one million bitcoins in Satoshi Nakamoto's wallet, which have not been used to this day, serve as his most powerful declaration. Although these bitcoins are now worth tens of billions of dollars, for him, their value is irrelevant — they are measured against a fiat system he attempted to create as an "escape route," the significance of which has already been subverted. If this batch of bitcoins is ever sold, it will completely betray everything Satoshi Nakamoto represents and destroy the foundational spirit of Bitcoin — turning him from a Lore creator into a Lore destroyer.

Since Satoshi Nakamoto disappeared from the history of Bitcoin and society, he has become a mythological figure for millions of people around the world, guiding their actions. Ultimately, he has become the best example for all subsequent Lore builders.

Lore Destroyer and Its Consequences

Lore Destroyers are those who extract and distort Lore for personal gain, manipulating the communities they are involved in to achieve this goal.

They are false prophets, shaping themselves into saviors, presenting themselves in an almost mythical way, only to ultimately fall from glory in a biblical-like manner. Time and again, people in the cryptocurrency space have shown that they are susceptible to the temptations of Lore destroyers.

Humans are inherently inclined to seek saviors; everyone is looking for someone worth following, and this tendency is often exploited. If we are to continue growing and developing as an industry, we must remain vigilant, identify the Lore disruptors, and bravely expose them.

Lore Destroyers are typically self-driven, putting themselves first. Their motivation is personal glory, and they are most concerned with how others perceive them. Their mindset is "mine" rather than "ours," and their language is often self-referential. For example, they might say, "Look at me, I am a visionary," rather than "Look at what we are building together."

Lore Destroyers are inherently short-term opportunists and toxic mercenaries. They will only engage in a story when it benefits them, and once a better opportunity arises, they will quickly betray it. Lore Destroyers have no firm beliefs or positions; they will say anything to please the masses. Rather than building myths, they are exploiting them, distorting the Lore, and ultimately serving their own personal interests.

Lore Destroyers appear to be purified and unreal. Their language is robotic, seeming hollow and superficial, rather than providing anything substantive. They overly optimize metrics and dramatic effects while neglecting substantial content and the natural progression of Lore.

In the end, Lore destroyers attempted to extract benefits from the myth as quickly as possible, ultimately leading the community into ruin and chaos. On the other hand, Lore builders continuously advanced the evolution of the myth over a long period, allowing patient community members to rise together and move forward hand in hand.

SBF: Ultimate Lore Destroyer

One of the most notorious Lore destroyers in recent memory is none other than Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF for short). From the perspective of Lore construction, he did a lot of things right while building Lore for himself and FTX/Alameda.

He comes from a distinguished background, MIT and Jane Street, and initially entered the crypto space by arbitraging Bitcoin in Asia. He has crafted an image of a disheveled genius founder, sleeping on bean bags and living simply, but all of this is a carefully designed facade.

The philosophical framework of "effective altruism" that SBF advocates emphasizes doing the most good by any means necessary, which places him and his actions at a moral high ground. Those who follow him and the Lore he established often see a lot of copy-pasted content and the iconic events he participated in, whether it’s him "saving" Sushiswap from the control of Chef Nomi or his claim that "he is willing to buy all SOL at a price of $3," these are just a few examples.

SBF consolidated external recognition, raising hundreds of millions in funding for FTX from venture capital firms like SoftBank, Sequoia Capital, Paradigm, Temasek, and Blackstone, establishing himself as a legitimate voice of authority. He met with regulators, testified before Congress, and positioned himself as the "acceptable face" of cryptocurrency. Crypto Twitter was enchanted by this myth, with accounts like Autism Capital beautifying his image and efforts over the years.

However, the signs of Lore's destruction have long been evident. First of all, SBF rebuilt the system that Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies were supposed to disrupt between his business and political efforts, replacing it with a personality cult centered around himself. Ironically, he established close relationships with the institutions that Satoshi tried to break away from, but whether it was due to being drawn in by his charm or because it served their interests, many chose to ignore this. SBF was very opaque in the transactions and structures between Alameda and FTX, which are essentially the same entity.

From the arena in Miami to plastering his face on billboards in San Francisco, claiming that "joining cryptocurrency is to do global good," SBF mimicked legitimacy while undermining the mythos of cryptocurrency. He disguised himself in the language of altruism, decentralization, and ethics, as a guise to further his personal and political goals.

As a Lore Destroyer, SBF viewed cryptocurrency as an industry from which to profit, rather than a space worth building. He leveraged this myth to enhance his and his confidants' power, and when his empire collapsed in November 2022, leading to FTX's bankruptcy, many were abandoned and destroyed.

SBF has been convicted of multiple crimes and is currently serving a 25-year federal prison sentence, having been ordered to forfeit over $11 billion in assets for misappropriating FTX customer deposits to support Alameda, purchase real estate, make political donations, and more. We are fortunate that he was caught; if SBF had gone further, he could have become a Trojan horse, completely dismantling everything this industry has built.

Conclusion

The life and death of a community is determined by its cultural inheritance, and the fate of that cultural inheritance is in the hands of those "cultural builders" who take responsibility and promote its development. Cultural construction has always existed; it is only now that we are beginning to define it and distinguish cultural builders from cultural destroyers. Culture is the lifeline of a community; although cultural builders are the wise ones who give it vitality, cultural destroyers are the vampires that drain its essence.

Culture is never neutral; it is always in a state shaped and changed by the community. Without excellent cultural builders to defend this culture, it can easily be exploited. The future of any project is not driven by code or the amount of funding, but by those who imbue it with myth and shape its culture.

Today, founders are romanticized, just like athletes. But we no longer need more founders raising huge amounts of money, nor do we need more venture capital to fund them. What we need are more guardians, weavers, guardians of myths, and humble shepherds who play a role in maintaining cultural heritage and defending it from external forces. To do this, you don't need to appear in the most dazzling way; I don't recommend that.

To become a cultural builder, you just need to care and step into your role at the right moment.

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