Our Way
We raise fiat-proof kids
What does Fiat-proof mean?
BITCOIN
Fiat means ‘by decree‘ or ‘let it be done‘, as in following the authorities demand without questioning it. It’s a term that is used in the Bitcoin space. Fiat-money is any currency that has value because the government or bank ‘says so‘, not because it’s backed by anything. While historically linked to gold, the ability to print unlimited amounts has led to the devaluation of hard-earned currency, fueling inflation. Contrastingly, Bitcoin holds appeal due to its decentralized nature and deflationary design, impervious to control by any single entity.
UNSCHOOLING
Aligned with the Bitcoin ethos, we, as advocates of both Bitcoin and unschooling, reject the concept of fiat education. Consequently, we refrain from subjecting our children to conventional schooling systems that tend to mold them into compliant workers, constraining their potential in a manner that fails to prepare them for the future. Unschooling is decentralized education.
THE MIND
Our conditioned minds are also an authority to us, if not questioned. If you use Bitcoin as your currency and unschooling as your educational method, but don’t work on your subconscious beliefs that have been passed on from generation to generation for thousands of years, you will not be fully fiat proof, nor will your kids be. That’s why we, at APTB, fiat-proof all the way, also taking responsibility for our mental programming so that it won’t limit us or our children.
How do we fiat-proof kids?
WE OPERATE BY FIRST PRINCIPLES
Every child will do things that we don’t approve of, make mistakes, take risks, experience strong emotions and many other things that might scare us as parents. But the purpose of giving our children a first-principles-based upbringing, is to fiat-proof them: we put them into a loving environment where they can learn from mistakes, grow through them, live by first principles to develop highly functioning critical thinking and creative problem-solving abilities essential for navigating life's uncertainties.
Children are on a quest to discover the world and everything else that interests them. Unschooling means trusting our instincts for learning and nurturing children’s purity. Instead of sitting in classrooms all day, APTB kids get to balance exploring in nature and using innovative technology. Innate intelligence takes center stage. Just like the universe effortlessly follows the dictates of mathematics, our internal GPS for learning guides us towards knowledge and understanding.
The truth is that we gave birth to free human beings. They didn't hire us as their CEO. We don't need to have all the answers; we just need to trust in the natural intelligence that resides within our children. Because they naturally possess self-mastery from a young age. By giving them space they can discover what they want to do or learn.
Some parents might be worried about too much screentime, others about kids trying substances like alcohol, cigaretts or drugs at some point. Others will be more concerned about their child’s emotional well-being. However, it's crucial to recognize that by providing a strong foundation for your children, you are equipping them with the tools they need to handle these challenges. Despite the inevitable moments of discomfort or concern as children explore and learn, trust in the resilience and values you've instilled in them and their innate wisdom. This will serve as a guiding light, leading them towards making sound choices as they mature.
Let’s enjoy this ride together and raise some bad-as fiat-proof kids! ;-)
Each being should be allowed the opportunity of unfettered expansion. I see APTB as allowing the development of youth to be likened to the sprouting of a seedling that unfolds and unfurls from a nutrient rich soil and stretches upward.
This innocent seedling drinks in the freshness of life, air and the sunlight of creativity. It has no shackles, no inhibitors, no conformists or limiting agendas to repress its growth.
- Kevin Ferran, author
Excerpts from the book ‘The Parent’s Tao Te Ching‘
“You do not know the true origin of your children.
You call them yours but they are belong to a greater Mystery.
You do not know the name of the Mystery
but it is the true Mother and Father of your children.
At birth your children are filled with possibilities.
It is not your job to limit their possibilities.
Do not say ‘This and that are possible for you. These other things are not.’
They will discover themselves what is and what is not possible.
It is your job to stay open to the marvelous mystery of life.”
— William Martin
“If you fill every waking moment of your children’s lives they will have no room to be themselves.
If you push them constantly they will break.
If you burden them with an abundance of material toys their hearts will contract possessiveness.
If you always try to please them you will be their prisoner, not their parent.
Don’t strive or strain. do your work, then rest.
Your children will learn serenity.
Are your children problems to be solved, or people to be loved?
Consider current problems with your children.
Can you create space, free from your own anxieties, in which they are able to find their own way, feeling your love, but not your expectations?”
— William Martin
“Doing nothing when your child fails requires great courage and is the way of wisdom.
Gentleness when your child misbehaves requires great self-control and is the way of power.
Do not succumb to berating, scolding, interfering, interrupting, lecturing, or controlling your child.
Let your gentle presence teach all that is necessary.
Every mistake your child makes is another step forward on the long road to wholeness.
Every time your interfere you both step backwards.”