Author: @DeFiDave22
Translated by: Zhouzhou, BlockBeats
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 participation, and values, ensuring the continuity of culture; while cultural destroyers, like SBF, pursue personal gain, exploiting culture for profit, ultimately undermining the foundation of community and culture. The article emphasizes that community culture is not built through a single event or person but through the collective efforts and protection of everyone. The power of culture comes from the defense and inheritance of its values, rather than selfish manipulation and exploitation.
The following is the original content (for ease of reading, the original content has been edited):
Lore is a collective story, symbolic system, and collective memory shared by a community, tightly binding its members together. It cannot be bought; for Lore to endure, the community must deeply engage and promote its evolution. The most influential Lore is a public invitation to the community to collectively shape its mission and destiny. Those who quietly nurture these Lore are the Lore builders.
Their motivations vary: some are 'just for fun,' while others are driven by a strong inner mission. Regardless of the reasons, all Lore builders share a common point—they construct not just for themselves, but for something grander than themselves.
At the same time, there exists a completely opposite class of people: Lore destroyers. They are self-driven, viewing Lore as a resource from which they can draw energy rather than a cause worth contributing to. On the surface, they may appear similar to Lore builders, even exhibiting similar behaviors, but over time, their true motivations will ultimately reveal themselves. Lore destroyers do not see themselves as part of the story but rather as the center of the entire narrative—once personal interests demand it, they will betray Lore without hesitation.
Since the concept of 'Lore building' is still nascent, 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 to identify who is building and who is consuming.
Among all the characteristics of these opposing forces, the most important to remember is: successful Lore builders are guardians of cultural memory, shaping lasting collective identity; while Lore destroyers act like parasites, seeing only immediate desires and continuously draining the life force from Lore until it is exhausted.
What is a Lore Builder?
Lore builders are a class of individuals who listen, practice, and extend mythological narratives with the community. As I mentioned in the previous article, Lore builders 'can identify emerging ideas, understand their historical context, sense collective emotions, and weave it all into a coherent and engaging narrative.' They are the prophets of Lore. Excellent Lore builders do not impose directions forcefully; they listen, guard, 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 intent, often being the ones who work quietly behind the scenes—when everyone else is no longer paying attention, it is they who keep the flame alive. While their specific words and actions may vary, they all share a common core trait: rooted in the values they believe in and uphold.
Lore builders are inherently highly perceptive and intuitive. They understand the historical context of the Lore they are constructing, realizing what past forces have endowed it with meaning and power in reality. They can sense the emotions and atmosphere of those around them, judging the next direction and insightfully discerning what actions can truly resonate with the community.
Lore builders have an instinctive understanding of 'mythos,' able to recognize those profound moments and actions—whether grand or small—and amplify them at the right time. Ultimately, the perceptiveness of Lore builders stems from a vision for the future; they see Lore as a living story that continually evolves over time.
Lore builders are fundamentally selfless; they possess a high sense of integrity. They put aside their egos and serve the community and Lore itself in a humble guardian role, rather than making Lore a tool for self-service. They understand that Lore is a collective creation shaped by many and continually evolves within a larger narrative and emotional tide. They realize that actions speak louder than words; whether they are well-known is not important; they let their contributions speak for themselves.
Lore builders take initiative. They act without needing guidance from others and feel a sense of responsibility towards promoting the development of Lore. This 'proactivity' can manifest in various forms: symbolically (such as creating memes, shaping iconic symbols), narratively (writing content, 'canonizing' specific events, creating characters), ideologically (publicly taking a stance, establishing values), or even ritualistically (hosting events, forming habits, repeating certain actions).
Excellent Lore builders are very aware of 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. Each proactive move increases and expands the 'density' of Lore.
Lore builders also possess patience and resilience; they understand that the formation and rooting of Lore takes time, and it must resonate deeply with people's hearts, settling in collective memory. All truly powerful Lore is gradually formed through shared experiences—whether laughter, struggle, or victory. There is no shortcut to building Lore; it is not an overnight process. It must be constructed brick by brick, drop by drop, accumulating through specific actions.
Given enough time, a spiritual fortress capable of withstanding various external shocks will eventually take shape.
Ultimately, regardless of what they did or how they acted, Lore builders always see themselves as part of Lore—like a note in a symphony or a thread in a mythological tapestry, seemingly insignificant on its own, yet indispensable to the overall form.
Satoshi Nakamoto: A Model of Lore Builders
Satoshi Nakamoto is not only the founder of Bitcoin; he also set a standard for all subsequent Lore builders. Regardless of how technically impressive Bitcoin is, it could not have survived without a Lore that could attract steadfast believers.
Satoshi Nakamoto was keenly aware of the historical context that birthed Bitcoin. He understood the significance of the 'cypherpunk movement' in the 1990s—this became the ideological basis for 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. In that era, projects like B-Money and Bit Gold laid the theoretical foundations for the concept of digital currency, but it was not until the 'double-spending problem' was solved that digital currency became truly feasible on computational and economic levels.
Satoshi Nakamoto integrated these advances in cryptography and distributed systems while staying true to the spirit of cypherpunk, ultimately brewing a trustless, self-operating digital value transfer protocol. What he needed as the final piece was a suitable catalyst.
Then, the financial crisis of 2008 erupted. Governments chose to bail out financial giants while abandoning ordinary citizens, engaging in massive money printing through quantitative easing. These measures sparked widespread disillusionment and distorted incentives—profits were privatized while losses were borne by society at large. The systemic failure of the financial system and the public's erosion of trust in mainstream institutions created an ideal historical window for Satoshi Nakamoto to publish the Bitcoin white paper on Halloween 2008.
Satoshi Nakamoto's vision was very clear: to create a peer-to-peer, decentralized system that substitutes for state-controlled currency. No longer relying on banks, governments, or intermediaries, transactions should occur directly between individuals, with cryptographic trust mechanisms ensuring everything. There is no central server and no individual who can be held accountable; only an open-source network that transcends borders, allowing anyone to participate.
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' was Satoshi's base—he not only shared his thoughts and logic there but also guided and nurtured a community that would collectively establish cultural norms and refine Bitcoin's core concepts.
In this forum, the philosophical ideas advocated by Satoshi, as well as the community's responses to these ideas, are as significant as the code he wrote.
For example, the total supply of Bitcoin is rigidly limited to 21 million, a mechanism deeply embedded in the cultural awareness of 'scarcity,' fundamentally protecting the community from the inflationary tyranny brought by fiat currency—this printing behavior has never received true public consent. Furthermore, principles such as 'decentralization,' 'sovereignty,' 'permissionless,' 'neutrality,' 'anti-fragility,' and 'pragmatism' were established in Bitcoin's early culture, laying the foundation for its future development.
Satoshi Nakamoto held himself to the highest standards, becoming a role model for others to emulate. He remained anonymous and never sought personal attention. The frequently quoted slogan 'We are all Bitcoin' is not coincidental—it reflects Satoshi's original intention: to allow everyone to participate in the development of Bitcoin, as Bitcoin was destined from the start to surpass any individual. The moment he handed Bitcoin over to the community was also when a new generation of Lore builders was born, who would continue to drive Bitcoin into the future.
And the one million bitcoins in Satoshi's wallet that remain untouched to this day serve as his most powerful declaration. Although these bitcoins are now worth tens of billions of dollars, to him, this value is irrelevant—it is measured against a fiat currency system he tried to create an 'escape route' from, and its significance has been subverted. If these bitcoins are ever sold, it would completely betray everything Satoshi represents and destroy the spiritual foundation of Bitcoin—reducing him from a Lore builder to a Lore destroyer.
Since Satoshi Nakamoto disappeared from the history of Bitcoin and society, he has become a mythic figure for millions of people worldwide, guiding them by his actions, ultimately becoming the best example for all subsequent Lore builders.
Lore Destroyers and Their 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, presenting themselves as saviors in a nearly mythological manner, ultimately falling from glory in a biblical-like manner. Time and again, people in the cryptocurrency space have demonstrated their susceptibility to the temptations of Lore destroyers.
Humans are inherently inclined to search for 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 Lore destroyers, and bravely expose them.
Lore destroyers are generally self-driven, putting themselves first. Their motivation is personal glory, and they care most about 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'm a visionary,' instead of 'Look at what we are building together.'
Lore destroyers are inherently short-term opportunists and toxic mercenaries. They only engage in the story when it benefits them, and once a better opportunity arises, they quickly betray the story. Lore destroyers have no firm beliefs or positions; to please the masses, they will say anything. Rather than building the myth, they exploit it, distorting Lore and ultimately serving their own personal interests.
Lore destroyers appear purified and unreal. Their language is robotic, seeming hollow and superficial, rather than providing anything substantial. They overly optimize metrics and dramatic effects while neglecting substantial content and naturally listening to the development direction of Lore.
Ultimately, Lore destroyers try to extract benefits from the myth as quickly as possible, leading the community into ruin and chaos. Meanwhile, Lore builders continuously push the evolution of the myth over long periods, allowing patient community members to rise together and move forward hand in hand.
SBF: The Ultimate Lore Destroyer
In recent memory, one of the most notorious Lore destroyers is none other than Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF). From the perspective of Lore building, he did many things right while establishing Lore for himself and FTX/Alameda.
He comes from a prominent background, MIT and Jane Street, initially entering the crypto space through Bitcoin arbitrage in Asia. He crafted an image of a disheveled genius founder, sleeping on bean bags and living simply, but all this was a carefully designed facade.
The 'effective altruism' philosophical framework that SBF espouses emphasizes doing the most good through any means, placing him and his actions on a moral high ground. Those who follow him and the Lore he established often see a plethora of copied and pasted content and the iconic events he participated in, whether it was him 'saving' Sushiswap from Chef Nomi's control or claiming 'he was willing to buy all SOL for $3', these are just a few examples.
SBF solidified external recognition, raising hundreds of millions for FTX from venture capital firms like SoftBank, Sequoia Capital, Paradigm, Temasek, and Blackstone, establishing himself as a legitimate voice in the power structure. 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 for years.
However, signs of Lore destruction have long been apparent. First, SBF rebuilt the system that Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies were supposed to disrupt in his commercial and political efforts, replacing it with a cult of personality centered around himself. Ironically, he established close relationships with the institutions that Satoshi tried to distance himself from, but whether out of attraction to their 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 Miami's arena to plastering his face on billboards in San Francisco, claiming he 'joined cryptocurrency to do global good,' SBF mimicked legitimacy while undermining the foundational myth of cryptocurrency. He disguised himself in the language of altruism, decentralization, and ethics as a guise to further promote personal and political goals.
As a Lore destroyer, SBF viewed cryptocurrency as an industry to profit from rather than a space worth building. He exploited this myth to enhance his and his allies' power, and when his empire collapsed in November 2022, with FTX filing for bankruptcy, many were left abandoned and destroyed.
SBF has been convicted of multiple crimes and is currently serving a 25-year federal prison sentence, ordered to forfeit over $11 billion in assets for misappropriating FTX customer deposits, supporting Alameda, purchasing real estate, making political donations, and more. We are fortunate he was caught; had SBF gone further, he could have become a Trojan horse that completely dismantled everything this industry has built.
Conclusion
The life and death of the community is determined by its cultural inheritance, and the fate of cultural inheritance is in the hands of those 'cultural builders' who take responsibility and promote its development. Cultural building has always existed; we are only beginning to define it now and distinguish between cultural builders and cultural destroyers. Culture is the lifeblood of the community, where cultural builders are the wise who give it vitality, while cultural destroyers are the vampires that drain its essence.
Culture is never neutral; it is always shaped and changed by the community. If there are no excellent cultural builders to defend this culture, it is easily exploited. The future of any project is not driven by code or funding amounts, but by those who endow it with myth and shape its culture.
Today, founders are romanticized, much like athletes. But we no longer need more founders raising massive amounts of capital, nor do we need more venture capital to fund them. What we need are more guardians, weavers, myth custodians, and humble shepherds who play a role in preserving cultural heritage and defending it from external forces. To achieve this, you don’t need to appear in the most dazzling way; I do not recommend that.
To be a cultural builder, you just need to care and step into your role at the right moment.
