That’s mechanical stuff. And even related to war at times. That’s why money works. Proof of work. You’re talking about why Bitcoin as a network is successful, which is very separate from individual social signaling. Individuals signal status to each other socially on numerous metrics, based on gender and skillset and other priorities. But a common trend is that focusing on the short term stuff, like beauty, ego, possessions, and so forth is very ephemeral. It feels good in the moment but it doesn’t contribute much long-term. Much of that is instinctively geared toward mate acquisition but many people get locked into it too much. We can apply our self awareness to escape that loop. In contrast, focusing on things like signaling your integrity to others through actions, your honesty, your generosity, your competence at your craft, your wisdom and helpfulness from experience- that’s what contributes a lot of deep satisfaction long-term. That’s the point of the post.

They can also signal value based on their willingness to compete over the ledger. It's an important point to make because people that don't control their own hashpower are entering into a trust-based system. Take El Salvador as an example, they don't hash at a sovereign level just to monetize their power. An equally important reason they do so is to ensure permissionless access to the network. I speculate that a "public" mining pool consisting mostly of regular everyday people is going to emerge as a serious competitor in the industry over the next 10 years. People have a lot more power than they currently realize.. and to ensure censorship resistance they must engage in the power competition.

that power isn't to compete "over the ledger", but kust for the next block so they can get paid. its a business. it's literally no different than starting a company that makes shoes or builds houses or teaches people in a school. that is simply a business. the difference is that when somebody becomes part of the Bitcoin economy, it doesn't matter how big and powerful any of the miners are, that oerson still has the same value in the Bitcoin economy. big or small miners don't change that value.