We stand at a precipice. For the first time in generations, the world we are preparing to leave our children looks darker, more constrained, and less free than the one our parents left us. Privacy erodes daily. Ownership becomes conditional. Liberty is bargained away for the illusion of temporary safety. And the tools that once promised emancipation now risk becoming instruments of control.

Over the past month I have had the profound honor of speaking with extraordinary individuals—visionaries, builders, freedom fighters, and community leaders—while examining a wealth of speaking proposals for UN Blockchain Week. The conversations have been awe-inspiring. The depth of knowledge and capability gathered in New York City at this critical moment is remarkable. Those discussions, particularly in recent days, compelled me to write this Op-Ed: a clear-eyed assessment and an urgent call to arms for every liberty-loving person on the planet.

In the early days, Bitcoin and blockchain represented something pure and radical. They offered a path to free ourselves from the ever-overreaching hand of bankers whose influence reaches into every branch of government. They promised actual privacy, genuine liberty, and the ability to own something that could not be seized, frozen, discovered, or stopped. Years ago, in an interview, Nick Spanos articulated a truth that has been echoed to me across the globe by liberty leaders, including President Vit: if we do not use blockchain to free ourselves, it will be used to enslave us.

That warning rings louder today. Advances in artificial intelligence accelerate the erosion of freedoms at a pace that feels relentless. Constitutional protections in the United States are violated with alarming regularity, and ordinary people find themselves with little practical means to push back. Privacy is casually sold to the masses under the banner of “the greater good.” We would do well to remember the counsel of our forefathers: those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.

Yesterday I spoke with a former vice-presidential candidate and the founder of HUMN Blockchain Communities, Karla Ballard. We discussed the torch of liberty and the power of community to create real value for everyone. That conversation was reinforced in person by Lou Kerner, founder of DAIAA and CryptoMondays—someone who has built thriving communities grounded in these same principles. We are humbled and honored that such people will speak at UN Blockchain Week. They are coming to the world’s square to help chart a roadmap for the future we leave our children.

I have said on stages around the world that the blockchain community is, in truth, the strongest community on Earth. We simply have not yet fully recognized it. Across borders, languages, races, and abilities, we share a common belief in liberty, ownership, and privacy. As the great Ron Paul told me during our in-person meeting earlier this year: Liberty is popular. That is why we gather in New York. World leaders, anarchists, bankers, blockheads, and freedom fighters—this event is for all of you. The only viable path forward is together.

Another conversation that left a deep impression was with my old friend Alex Lightman, known for crafting doctrine and best practices for artificial intelligence with the U.S. government, the European Union, and, with a little luck, the United Nations as we convene in New York. Alex has devoted his life to leaving the world better than he found it. He shared his theory and mathematical equation of Survivability. I cannot wait for you to hear him speak.

Additional discussions with Glenn Sorenson and Yoon Auh on privacy and the security of our assets will inject fresh energy and practical solutions into New York City during UNGA 81. These are not abstract debates. They are the conversations and solutions we must have if we intend to reverse the current trajectory.

So I issue this challenge to everyone planning to attend: What is your contribution to the community? How will you help the community, and how will the community help you? And to those still deciding whether to come: make the necessary arrangements. Meet us in New York.