Humans! One interesting twinkle in the dark, vacuous expanse of the cosmos. Trapped on a floating ball of rock to mope into space and be tormented by relentless, conflicting emotions. Prison within and prison without. Awaiting the summon of death. What the hell is this existence and what is its use? At least we have each other. Right? Yes, we do. Plus, the resources of the earth. And most importantly, there's that small voice that keeps telling us to become more. So, we stagger on. Nothing is certain in this great maze of existence but we don't just give in. We grope for purpose in the confusing unknown. We do what we do in search of fulfillment. Thus, we solve problems for those we love. We really dig in and harvest ingenious creations from within us. It makes us happy, so we keep going. We keep chasing that which our heart yearns for. What is it many have asked? What is it that we really want? Some of the smartest among us have given a name to it, and I dare agree with them. It is what it is; Freedom! Freedom from wants, death, and ourselves. Freedom from whatever dares limit us. Freedom from this great bondage that is us. Hence, in our relentless yearning, we build this great bridge of science. Into matter, into space, into life. Into technology! Oh that we may find that which we seek. Oh that we may find; Autonomy! Autonomy Has Always Driven Technology Humans have always been bound by limitations that we constantly rebel against. Imagine the caveman days. Small, slow, and weak as we were, we were completely bound by the harsh laws of the jungle. Dominated by powerful creatures. Yet, our big brain brought us to the very top of the food chain. Inventions like the spear, knife, and arrow with advanced hunting strategies helped us overcome the powerful beasts that ruled the wild. Then, we created our own societies and were ruled by tribal laws. Not very different jungle laws though but strong humans were in charge now. Then came the reign of religion, and priests were in charge. Then came countries with cunning politicians. Then came capitalism with wealthy businessmen who are now running the show. All these changes have been driven by advancements as humans try to take more control of their lives. From being ruled by wild beasts to strong men to priests to politicians and businessmen, people have always invented systems that gave them more control of their lives. And this progress is not only evident in the technology of our leadership but also in the everyday devices that we use. First, we had caves and stone tools, then came villages and metal tools, and then came towns and analog machines. Now, we have cities and digital technology. This drive for autonomy in our technology has culminated in what we call a decentralized internet or web3. Autonomy in Web3 Web 3 remains a relatively recent technology that is yet to be widely understood. Yet, it is already being widely adopted as the advantages are very obvious. Simply put, web3 aims to put the Internet and financial system under the control of everyone and not just a few giant corporations. Why is this necessary you may ask? Well, the answer is simple: "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely!" The internet and financial systems represent the most critical technologies that humans have been able to develop. Hence, there is a great power in the hands of anyone who controls them. It's no wonder that top government officials and tech billionaires dominate the list of most powerful people in the world. This great power which allows such people to exercise control around the world is akin to the legendary absolute power that absolutely corrupts the wielders. And we have already seen this corruption at play. For example; , , , etc. Facebook has recorded multiple user data breaches Twitter has been accused many times of stifling free speech US politicians were caught cheating through insider trading in the stock market Hence, the internet and financial market which have lasting effects on people’s lives need some level of democracy. This is what web3 promises. Cryptocurrencies were introduced as a means for people to transact directly without passing through middlemen in the banking institutions who often benefit fraudulently from people’s money with little or no punishment. Combining crypto with blockchain technology provides the world with a global decentralized financial internet that no one fully controls and everyone can benefit from. Is Autonomy Truly Possible? Many reservations have been raised about the practicality of web3 and whether it can be truly autonomous. For example; fundamental blockchain infrastructures are often hosted on web2 servers with centralized control. Also, mining cryptocurrency is energy intensive which makes the entire system dependent on power companies. Would the power companies and server owners not be the new bosses in town? Well, that's a critical problem that is yet to be solved. However, blockchain technology is slowly solving the centralized server problem through compressed distributed storage of the technology on the devices of its users. Basically, a blockchain is a database, and every device that connects to the blockchain has a version of the database stored on it. This makes it possible for the billions of devices that users use to connect to the blockchain to function as servers distributed around the world instead of just one central server. Fingers crossed for what will come in the future. About the electricity problem, well, most cryptocurrencies have a limited amount of tokens to be mined, hence, mining is not a forever thing. Also, alternative versions of power like solar make it possible for miners to set up affordable sources of personalized power. Hence, centralized power companies can possibly be bypassed. With these considerations, the autonomy that web3 promises can foreseeably be accomplished. Future of Autonomy Picture this... You fall asleep now and awaken in the autonomous age. Robots run the world now. The planet is one big country run by the United Nations and headquartered in Earth City (a giant circular artificial island built in the Atlantic Ocean on longitude 0 degrees and latitude 0 degrees). Networks of underwater hyperloop lines and speed train bridges interconnect all the continents in minutes and the former countries are nothing but political provinces for proper documentation and security. Autonomous vehicles with little or no accidents dominate the roads and autonomous spaceships transverse space to transport people and resources around the solar system. Humans have finally colonized the solar system. The world lives in abundance as automated high-tech farms meet all our agricultural needs. Basic amenities like water, electricity, and education are free, and everyone gets a living wage to cover secondary needs like real estate around the planets, internet access, and transportation. Advanced amenities like technology, art, entertainment, exploration, and financial trading are where businesses operate. Web3 is fully operational. Hologram devices are all over the place for people to experience the dinterverse (decentralized internet metaverse) which uses all those devices as servers. DAOs, running on open-source technology, are the global means of voting, with Auth ID being the prominent open-source platform for decentralized technology. Industry-based crypto coins are the means of exchange (e.g., techon for technology, agrocoin for agriculture, muse for music, etc.) and cryptex trading (forex trading of the time) is the primary means of employment for everyone with people speculating on which industry will do better based on the season. Bitcoin is, however, immortalized as the only currency accepted around the world across all industries. Global poverty has been eradicated and financial inequality is very low around the world with cryptex trading available to everyone. A decentralized financial system was the game changer as it led to an explosion of prosperity through relatively easy cryptex trading. You investigate your trade on your holophone. You're doing very well and will be making another $50,000 this week. You smile to yourself as you glance out the window of your noiseless starjet (silent speed jets that ferry people around the world in minutes). The city below is a great wonder as people said. You're on vacation in Earth City. It's your first time. You came for it. The statue of autonomy or "the human spirit" as it is fondly called. Many weep upon first beholding its glory. The symbol of human victory on the earth. It appears on the horizon. The shiny bust of a crowned androgynous human child stops at the waist so it's neither male nor female. Completely transparent as if entirely made of glass, hence, the name human spirit. With both hands upraised in freedom, it holds Bitcoin (the first global crypto) in the right hand and a scroll in the left. Your ship does the ceremonial circling of the statue. Then it passes the scroll and you behold those legendary words. You read it in a low voice. "We humans hold that all of us are born free. Free to live, free to love, free to prosper!" A smile crawls up your face, and you resolve to uphold this great motto. Then you hear a phone ring. A familiar ancient music. It gets louder and louder. It's your phone. You were dreaming of course. You curse as you pick up your phone. It's your boss calling you to return to work. You cut the call and sigh in disappointment. That dream was just beautiful. Then it occurs to you: The current world is one big nightmare! WHAT DOES THIS MEAN Web3 is upon us. Cryptocurrencies are everywhere and blockchain infrastructure gets more sophisticated every day. Many crypto millionaires roam the earth to prove the real value of the technology. Decentralization is on its way. Below are the predictions you should know about web3; Decentralization is the future. Digital commodities e.g., NFTs, in-game items, virtual real estate, and decentralized exchange (DEX) will create a new industry. Currencies will become more globalized. Companies will become smaller and more personalized. Self-service will become the new way of operating the financial industry. HOW DO I PREPARE FOR AUTONOMY Educate yourself on cryptocurrencies, blockchain technology, and the metaverse. Invest in promising crypto coins. Participate in public web3 forums. Fund web 3 projects if you can. Learn how to make money on your own from the internet.

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Behold: The Autonomy We Always Sought

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Behold: The Autonomy We Always Sought

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Oliver Ifediorah

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