A New Beginning.
In a previous article, I wrote about how hyperinflation, crime, and a broken financial system changed my family life forever. For us, leaving wasn’t just a physical journey, it was a complete mental and emotional rebirth. What I want to share now is how discovering cryptocurrency, and Tezos in particular, became a vital lifeline. It offered me not just financial stability, but a transformative educational journey at a time when trust in traditional money had completely collapsed.
A New Perspective on Money
Living through Venezuela’s economic collapse forced me to question everything I knew about money. Growing up, I, like everyone else, took currency for granted, it was just a stable tool for trade. But, witnessing catastrophic government policies revealed its true nature: fiat currency is fragile, built entirely on trust in institutions that can and do fail. Suddenly, terms like inflation, circulating supply, interest rates, and market capitalization weren’t just economic jargon; they were essential tools for survival.
People often discuss the financial ruin of hyperinflation, but rarely its psychological toll. It completely warps your sense of time and reality. In Venezuela, prices could double in a day. I found myself working longer and longer hours just to afford basic necessities. Planning for the future became impossible, with only a short-term focus. You spent money the second you got it, buying any tangible goods you could find before your cash lost its value. This constant cycle of survival, driven by sheer uncertainty, was quite draining, reshaping your focus, your habits, and your entire outlook on life.
Transparency, Clear rules, Certainty.
This is where cryptocurrency, specifically Tezos, changed my perspective. Unlike fiat, which can be printed endlessly by governments, Tezos operates on a set of transparent rules enforced by the protocol. Its on-chain governance model, where validators (bakers) vote on upgrades (proposals) that can be submitted by anyone in the world, showed me a vision of a truly decentralized, community-driven financial system. For me, this was never about making quick profits. It was about finally understanding the mechanics of money: how it is created, distributed, and controlled.
The transparency was striking. In the crypto world, anyone can look up metrics like total supply, issuance rates, and staking yields through a block explorer. This empowers people to make informed decisions. This stood in contrast to the Venezuelan Central Bank, which at some point took down its website and hid critical data like money supply, inflation, and bond dynamics to “avoid chaos”, leaving citizens completely in the dark. That lack of transparency eroded trust and fueled the crisis.
My Experience with Tezos: A Steady Anchor
During my research into blockchain, Tezos stood out because of its steadfast focus on solving the core blockchain trilemma: balancing security, scalability, and decentralization , without getting into short-term hype. Its governance model, which gives the community a real and formal voice, was the complete opposite of the centralized control I had experienced with both fiat systems and many other crypto projects.
What truly cemented my trust was the community itself. Tezos is filled with knowledgeable members who are deeply committed to its core principles. While communities of other projects often ignore the dangers of multisigs control or centralized road-maps for the sake of short-term gains, the Tezos community calls it out immediately. This unwavering commitment to true cipherpunk ideals, the very ones that made me fall in love with crypto as a tool to fight back against government overreach is what sets it apart. I’ve seen other ecosystems where projects freeze assets, ignore poll results, or where a small group of developers force through a messy fork to save a flawed project. On Tezos, such actions would be really difficult to pull it off. The community’s ethos of decentralization and integrity is its bedrock.
Of course, Tezos isn’t perfect, it’s constantly evolving. But its commitment to fairness and a principled approach is what keeps me engaged. For me, Tezos has always been about the long-term principles, not the short-term gains. The knowledge I’ve gained from its ecosystem far outweighs any drawbacks, making it a project I am proud to support as long as it follows these principles.
Digital Art Revolution as good omens
History has always shown me that art is a powerful force for change. That’s why the passionate art community that grew organically on Tezos felt so significant. It didn’t just blow me away; it was the best possible sign that this was the right place to be.
Now, a new chapter is being written, not on cave walls or canvases, but in the digital realm. And at its heart is a powerful truth: art has always been a form of quiet rebellion. It challenges power and shares bold ideas through creativity, not force.
That’s why what happened on Tezos was so special. It became a true global canvas. For the first time, an artist in Brazil could easily reach a collector in Japan. This wasn’t a planned corporate project; it grew naturally from the ground up.
To me, that organic growth was a sign of hope. It was proof that even today, our basic need to create, connect, and question is alive and well. Art is our history. It’s how societies have always recorded their big ideas, showcased their innovations, and left a permanent mark on the world.
Knowledge as a Lifeline
Ultimately, learning about cryptocurrency was about more than finance, it was my education anchor. Understanding how money works, whether fiat or crypto, exposed the flaws that led to Venezuela’s collapse. Tezos, with its emphasis on governance and adaptability, taught me to question centralized control and to value transparency above all else. It showed me that money could be a tool for freedom, or slavery when it’s mismanaged.
Understanding how money is created, how it can fail, and its potential for good is now my shield against broken economies. It’s a foundation I can use to rebuild anywhere.
Cryptocurrency, especially Tezos, was more than just a financial escape from hyperinflation. It was a gateway to understanding economic systems themselves, saving me from the ignorance that makes such crises so devastating. Today, I carry these lessons with me, knowing that no broken system can ever destroy the power of knowledge.
When Currency Dies, Chapter 2: How Cryptocurrencies Saved My Life was originally published in Tezos Commons on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
