Seeker: joins the call at 3 AM, eyes bloodshot from eighteen hours of chart watching, multiple trading screens casting green and red light across his unshaven face, empty energy drink cans forming a small pyramid beside his mouse
Sifu, I need to move fast. There’s this new coin, ShibaFlokiMoon, up 3,000% this week. I’m thinking of taking out a loan to…
Sifu: observes the chaos of flashing notifications and price alerts behind the seeker
Stop. Tell me, Jake, when did you last sleep without your phone beside you, checking prices in the darkness?
Seeker: nervous laugh, fingers unconsciously twitching toward his phone
Sleep is for people who aren’t about to miss the next Bitcoin. Look, I’ve been in crypto for two years. I’ve made money, lost money, but I know the next big one is coming. I can feel it in my chest.
Sifu: nods slowly
Ah. You can feel it. Like a gambler feels the next hand will be different. This electricity in your chest… tell me more about it.
Seeker: leaning forward intensely
It’s like… when I see those green candles shooting up, my heart pounds so hard I can hear it. When I find a new coin before the crowd discovers it, it’s the closest thing to flying I’ve ever experienced. Better than any drug.
Sifu: quiet for a long moment, hands folded
I once knew a man who chased butterflies through a meadow. Beautiful creatures, dancing just beyond his reach. He ran until his lungs burned, stumbled over roots, ignored the flowers at his feet. Do you know what happened?
Seeker:
He… caught the biggest one?
Sifu:
He collapsed from exhaustion, and the butterflies continued their dance without him. When he finally looked down, he realized he had been standing in a garden of rare orchids the entire time.
leans forward
Tell me, what value have you created in these two years of chasing?
Seeker: defensive, gesturing at his screens
Created? I’ve learned everything about blockchain technology. Market psychology. DeFi protocols. I’ve made some serious gains when I time it right.
Sifu:
Have you built anything that serves others? Solved any real problems? Fed anyone? Sheltered anyone?
Seeker: stares at his portfolio of coins named after cartoon characters
I… no. But that’s not the point. The point is to get rich so I can do those things later. Once I hit my number.
Sifu: repeats the word like tasting something bitter
Later. The river that promises to nourish the valley ‘later’ serves no one. It becomes stagnant, then poison.
Seeker:
But people are getting stupid rich! My friend bought Dogecoin for pennies and bought a Tesla. Another guy made millions on some random DeFi token he found on a Discord tip.
Sifu:
And how many friends have you watched buy at the peak? Sell their possessions for digital promises? Lie awake calculating their losses?
Seeker: shoulders sagging, the energy drink crash hitting
Most of them, honestly. But that’s because they don’t study the charts like I do. They don’t understand market psychology.
Sifu: gentle smile
Understanding. The gambling addict also believes they understand patterns in randomness, meaning in chaos. What makes your technical analysis different from their lucky numbers?
Seeker: long pause, staring at his elaborate chart overlays
I… I don’t know.
Sifu:
Good. Not knowing is the doorway to wisdom. Now tell me… before this fever took hold, what work made your hands feel useful?
Seeker: reaching back through months of red-eyed chart staring
I used to design websites. Small businesses, local artists. Nothing huge, but…
voice softening
I loved solving their problems. Seeing their faces light up when their site went live.
Sifu:
And you abandoned this work?
Seeker: rubs his tired eyes
I needed every waking hour to research coins, to catch the next wave. The website work felt too slow, too small. Like… like counting pennies while dollars were flying past.
Sifu: nods with understanding
You traded the certain joy of creating value for the uncertain promise of striking digital gold. Like a master craftsman abandoning his workshop to dig holes in the desert.
Seeker: something loosening in his chest
But blockchain is revolutionary. Shouldn’t I be part of the revolution?
Sifu:
The river doesn’t need to become the ocean to be vital. You could build applications that solve real problems. Help businesses understand this technology. Create bridges between old and new worlds.
pauses
But you cannot build anything while chasing mirages.
Seeker:
So you’re saying I should cash out everything? Walk away completely?
Sifu:
I’m asking: what would someone who truly understood value do? Not someone desperate to get rich, but someone committed to creating wealth for others?
Seeker: looking at his screens with new eyes
They would… build something that actually works? Something people need?
Sifu:
Perhaps. The wise farmer doesn’t scatter seeds randomly hoping for magic. They study soil, understand seasons, nurture growth with patience.
Seeker:
But how do I separate real projects from the thousand scams? Everything promises to be “the next Bitcoin.”
Sifu: laughs like water over stones
The same way you recognize a master craftsman versus fool’s gold. You examine their work, not their promises. Ask: does this solve a real problem? Can you explain what it does to your grandmother?
Seeker: scrolling through his portfolio
Most of these coins… I honestly couldn’t explain what they do beyond “go up.”
Sifu:
There is your compass. True value announces itself quietly through usefulness, not loudly through marketing tweets. The oak tree doesn’t need to convince the forest it provides shade.
Seeker:
So what do I do with this mess?
gestures at dozens of random altcoins
Sifu:
What does your craftsman’s heart tell you?
Seeker: staring at cartoon dog logos and rocket ship emojis
This is mostly garbage, isn’t it? I’ve been collecting digital lottery tickets and calling it investing.
Sifu:
What would you do if your garden was overrun with weeds?
Seeker:
Pull them out. Keep only what’s actually growing.
Sifu:
And then?
Seeker: voice gaining strength
Plant something useful.
Sifu: smiles warmly
Your website skills… they still live in your hands?
Seeker: for the first time in months, closing a trading app
Yes, but…
Sifu:
No buts. The world needs builders, not speculators. Your skills create real value. Will you trust your ability to build, or keep chasing other people’s digital dreams?
Seeker: minimizing his trading screens, seeing his old portfolio folder underneath
I remember now. The satisfaction of solving real problems. Making things work.
Sifu:
That satisfaction is your true compass. It points toward meaningful work, not easy money. The blockchain revolution needs builders, educators, problem-solvers. It has enough gamblers.
Seeker:
But what if I’m building small websites while the next Bitcoin launches somewhere?
Sifu: infinite patience in his voice
The person planting an orchard doesn’t mourn the butterfly they didn’t catch. They trust that fruit feeds more souls than any mirage ever could.
Seeker: feeling peace replace the familiar chest-tightening anxiety
I think… I need to get back to building things that matter.
Sifu: preparing to close
The craftsman was always there, waiting beneath the fever. Trust your hands, your mind, your ability to create value. This is wealth no market can crash, no whale can manipulate.
Seeker: already reaching for his old design software
Thank you, Sifu. Time to clean house and get back to work.
Sifu: as the session ends
Remember… the river that faithfully serves the valley becomes mighty not through force, but through usefulness. Build value for others, and abundance flows naturally to you.
The seeker logs off, looking at his reflection in the now-dark trading screens. For the first time in months, he sees not a desperate gambler but a craftsman ready to return to his workshop. The fever has broken. The builder has awakened.