Original Article Title: Lorebuilders and 『Breakers: The Creators and Destroyers of Communities
Original Article Author: @DeFiDave22
Article Translation: zhouzhou, BlockBeats

Editor's Note: This article explores the difference between culture builders and culture destroyers. Culture builders, like Satoshi Nakamoto, drive cultural development through ideas, community engagement, and values, ensuring the continuity of culture. On the other hand, culture destroyers, like SBF, pursue personal gain, using culture to seek profit for themselves, ultimately undermining the foundation of communities and culture. The article emphasizes that a community's culture is not shaped by a single event or individual, but by the collective efforts of everyone and the protection of heritage. The power of culture comes from defending and passing on its values, rather than selfish manipulation and exploitation.

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

Lore is a community's shared story, symbolic system, and collective memory that tightly binds its members together. It cannot be bought, and for Lore to endure, the community must deeply engage in 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 Lores behind the scenes are known as Lorebuilders.

Their motivations vary: some do it "just for fun," while others are driven by a strong inner mission. Regardless of the reasons, all Lorebuilders share a common trait — what they build is not just for themselves but for something greater than themselves.

At the same time, there is a completely opposite class of individuals to Lorebuilders: Lorebreakers. Driven by self-interest, they see Lore as a resource to draw energy from, rather than a cause worth contributing to. On the surface, they may appear similar to Lorebuilders, even behaving similarly, but over time, their true motives will be revealed. Lorebreakers do not see themselves as part of the story but rather as the center of the entire narrative — once personal gain is at stake, they readily betray Lore.

As the concept of "Lore Building" is still nascent, we must remain vigilant and clearly delineate the boundaries between Lorebuilders and Lorebreakers. It is with the aim of establishing this discernment that this article has been 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 worth remembering is this: successful Lore Builders are the guardians of cultural memory, shaping enduring shared identities; while Lore Breakers are like parasites attached to it, only seeing immediate desires, constantly draining the life force of Lore until it withers away.

What is a Lore Builder

A Lore Builder is a kind of person who listens, practices, and collectively extends mythic narratives with the community. As I mentioned in my previous article, Lore Builders "can identify emerging concepts, understand their historical background, perceive collective emotions, and weave all of this into a coherent and engaging narrative." They are the prophets of Lore. Excellent Lore Builders do not forcefully dictate the direction; 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 visible person in the room. Their words and actions are purposeful, often those of the ones quietly toiling behind the scenes—when everyone else no longer pays attention, it is they who keep the flame alive. While their specific ways of speaking and acting may vary, they all share a common core trait: being rooted in the values they believe in and uphold.

Lore Builders are inherently highly perceptive and intuitive. They understand the context of the Lore they build in history, comprehend what past forces have given it meaning and power in reality. They can sense the emotions and atmosphere of the surrounding crowd, determine the next direction from it, and perceive what actions can truly resonate with the community.

Lore Builders have a natural insight into the "mythical sense", able to recognize profound moments and behaviors—whether grand or small—and timely amplify and spread them. Ultimately, the perceptiveness of Lore Builders stems from a vision of the future; they see Lore as a living story that continues to evolve, slowly unfolding in the river of time.

Lore Builders are fundamentally selfless, possessing a high sense of integrity. They set aside themselves, serving the community and Lore itself with a humble guardian posture, rather than letting Lore become a tool for self-service. They deeply understand that Lore is a collective creation, shaped by many people together, and always evolving within a larger narrative and emotional tide. They understand that actions speak louder than words; being recognized by others is not important— they let their contributions speak for themselves.

Lore Builders take initiative. They take action without being instructed by others and have a sense of responsibility for driving the development of Lore. This "proactiveness" 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), and can also be ceremonial (organizing events, forming habits, repeating certain actions).

Excellent Lore Builders are acutely aware of when to step forward and when to bide their time. Being proactive does not mean pushing Lore's development forcefully but rather stepping up at the right moment. Each proactive move helps Lore continuously grow and expand its "density."

Lore Builders also possess patience and resilience. They understand that Lore formation and rooting take time; it must sink deep into people's hearts and settle in collective memory. All truly powerful Lore is gradually formed through shared experiences—whether in laughter, struggles, or victories. There is no shortcut to building Lore; it is far from an overnight process. It must be built brick by brick, little by little, through a series of concrete actions.

Given enough time, a spiritual fortress capable of withstanding various external pressures will eventually take shape.

Ultimately, regardless of what they do or how they act, Lore Builders always see themselves as part of Lore—much like a note in a symphony or a stitch in a mythological tapestry. While seemingly insignificant on their own, they are indispensable to the overall form.

Satoshi Nakamoto: A Model Lore Builder

Satoshi Nakamoto is not only the creator of Bitcoin but also set a standard for all subsequent Lore Builders. No matter how amazing Bitcoin is from a technical standpoint, it would not have survived to this day without a Lore capable of attracting steadfast believers.

Satoshi Nakamoto had a deep understanding of the history that led to Bitcoin's birth. He grasped the significance of the 1990s "cypherpunk movement"—the ideological foundation of Bitcoin. This movement planted the seed of "fighting for freedom with code," emphasizing that encryption technology is a tool to achieve individual and collective sovereignty. During that era, projects like b-money and Bit Gold laid the theoretical foundation for digital currency, but it wasn't until the "double-spending problem" was solved that digital currency became truly viable on a computational and economic level.

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

Then, the 2008 financial crisis struck. Governments worldwide opted to bail out financial giants, leaving ordinary people behind and engaging in massive money printing through quantitative easing policies. These measures triggered widespread disillusionment and distorted incentive mechanisms—profits were privatized while losses were socialized. The systemic failure of the financial system and the erosion of public trust in mainstream institutions created an ideal historical window for Satoshi Nakamoto to release the Bitcoin whitepaper on Halloween 2008.

Satoshi Nakamoto's vision is very clear: to create a peer-to-peer, decentralized system that serves as an alternative to government-controlled currency. This system would no longer rely on banks, governments, or intermediaries, but solely on transactions between individuals, secured by cryptographic trust mechanisms. There is no central server, no accountable individual, only an open-source network that spans borders and allows anyone to participate.

This participation is not limited to running full nodes or contributing code; it also includes actively engaging in the Bitcoin community at a social level. For example, the Bitcoin forum "Bitcoin Talk" is Satoshi Nakamoto's headquarters—where he not only shared his thoughts and logic but also guided and nurtured a community that would collectively establish cultural norms and enhance the core principles of Bitcoin.

On this forum, Satoshi Nakamoto's philosophical ideas and the community's response to these ideas are deemed as important as the code he wrote.

For instance, Bitcoin's total supply is hard-capped at 21 million, deeply ingraining a sense of "scarcity" in the cultural consciousness. This fundamentally protects the community from the inflationary tyranny of fiat currency issuance, a practice that has never received genuine public consent. Additionally, principles such as "trustlessness," "sovereignty," "permissionlessness," "neutrality," "antifragility," and "pragmatism" were established in the early Bitcoin culture, laying the groundwork for its future development.

Satoshi Nakamoto held himself to the highest standards, becoming a role model for others. He remained anonymous and never sought personal attention. The oft-quoted slogan "We Are All Satoshi" is not accidental—it embodies Satoshi Nakamoto's original intention: to enable everyone to participate in Bitcoin's development because Bitcoin was destined from the start to transcend any individual. When he handed over Bitcoin to the community, it marked the emergence of a new generation of Lore builders who would continue to propel Bitcoin into the future.

Furthermore, the one million bitcoins untouched in Satoshi Nakamoto's wallet to this day serve as his most powerful declaration. While these bitcoins are now worth billions of dollars, their value is inconsequential to him. They are measured against a fiat system he sought to create an "exit" from—a system whose significance has been undermined. If these bitcoins were ever sold, it would completely betray everything Satoshi Nakamoto represented and undermine Bitcoin's spiritual foundation, turning him from a Lore builder into a Lore destroyer.

Since disappearing into Bitcoin and societal history, Satoshi Nakamoto has become a mythical figure for millions of people worldwide, with everyone looking to his actions as a guide. Ultimately, he has become the prime example for all subsequent Lore builders.

Lore Disruptors and Their Consequences

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

They are false prophets, shaping themselves as saviors and presenting themselves in an almost mythical way, only to eventually fall from glory in a biblical-like descent. Time and time again, individuals in the cryptocurrency space have shown themselves to be susceptible to Lore disruptors.

Humans naturally seek saviors; everyone is looking for someone to follow, a tendency that is often exploited. If we are to continue to grow and evolve as an industry, we must remain vigilant, identify Lore disruptors, and bravely expose them.

Lore disruptors are typically self-centered, placing themselves above all else. 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 would say, "Look at me, I am a visionary," instead of "Look at what we are collectively building."

Lore disruptors are inherently opportunistic short-termists and toxic mercenaries. They only engage in a story when it benefits them, quickly betraying it as soon as a better opportunity arises. They lack firm beliefs or positions and will say anything to please the masses. Rather than building a mythos, they exploit it, distorting Lore to ultimately serve their own interests.

Lore disruptors appear sanitized and inauthentic. Their language is robotic, appearing hollow and superficial, offering no real substance. They over-optimize for metrics and theatrics, ignoring substance and failing to listen to the natural progression of Lore.

Ultimately, Lore disruptors seek to extract gains from the mythos as quickly as possible, leading the community into decay and chaos. In contrast, Lore builders continuously drive the evolution of the mythos over extended periods, allowing patient community members to rise together and progress hand in hand.

SBF: The Ultimate Lore Disruptor

In recent memory, one of the most notorious Lore disruptors is none other than Sam Bankman-Fried (known as SBF). From a Lore-building perspective, he has done many things right in 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 has crafted himself as a scruffy genius founder, sleeping on bean bags, living a minimalist life, but all of this is a carefully designed facade.

SBF's espoused philosophy of "effective altruism" emphasizes doing the most good by any means necessary, putting him and his actions on a moral high ground. Those who follow him and the Lore he has built often see a lot of copy-pasted content and iconic events he has been involved in, whether it's him "saving" Sushiswap from Chef Nomi's control or his claim that "he would buy all SOL at $3," these are just a few examples.

SBF has solidified external validation, raising hundreds of millions for FTX from venture capital firms like SoftBank, Andreessen Horowitz, Paradigm, Temasek, Blackstone, among others, and positioning himself as a legitimate voice of authority. He meets with regulatory bodies, testifies before Congress, and positions himself as the "friendly face" of cryptocurrency. Crypto Twitter is enamored with this myth, with accounts like Autism Capital beautifying his image and efforts over the years.

However, signs of Lore's disruption have long been evident. Firstly, SBF, in between his business and political efforts, has rebuilt the system that Bitcoin and cryptocurrency were supposed to disrupt, replacing it with a cult of personality centered around him. Ironically, he has forged close relationships with the institutions that Satoshi was trying to break free from, but whether out of attraction to his charm or because it serves their interests, many choose to overlook this fact. SBF's dealings and structures between Alameda and FTX are highly opaque, with both essentially being the same entity.

From the arena in Miami to plastering his face on billboards in San Francisco, claiming that he "joined crypto to do global good," SBF mimics legitimacy but undermines the mythos of cryptocurrency. He disguises himself in the language of altruism, decentralization, and ethics as a smokescreen to further personal and political agendas.

As a Lore disrupter, SBF sees cryptocurrency as an industry to exploit rather than a space to build. He uses this myth to enhance his and his inner circle's power, and when his empire collapsed in November 2022 when FTX filed for bankruptcy, many were left abandoned and destroyed.

SBF was found guilty of multiple offenses, is currently serving a 25-year federal prison sentence, and has been ordered to forfeit over $11 billion in assets for embezzling FTX customer deposits, supporting Alameda, purchasing real estate, making political donations, etc. We are fortunate he was caught; if SBF had gone further, he could have become a Trojan horse, dismantling everything built in this industry.

Conclusion

The life and death of a community are determined by its cultural heritage, and the fate of cultural heritage lies in the hands of those who take responsibility and drive its development as "cultural builders." Cultural building has always existed; we are just now beginning to define it and differentiate between cultural builders and cultural destroyers. Culture is the lifeblood of a community, and while cultural builders are the wise ones who give it vitality, cultural destroyers are the vampires who feed on its essence.

Culture is never neutral; it is always in a state of being shaped and reshaped by the community. Without strong cultural builders to defend this culture, it is easily exploited. The future of any project is not driven by code or the amount of funding but by those who create its myths and shape its culture.

Today, founders are romanticized, much like athletes. However, we no longer need founders who raise vast sums of money, nor do we need more venture capital to fund them. What we need are more guardians, weavers, myth keepers, and humble shepherds who play a role in preserving cultural heritage and defending it from external forces. To do this, you don't need to show up in the most dazzling way; I don't recommend that.

To be a cultural builder, all you need to do is care and step into your role at the right time.

Source: "Original Article Link"

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