halalmoney on Nostr: “…a citadel isn’t about retreating from the world; it’s about building ...

“…a citadel isn’t about retreating from the world; it’s about building something better in it.”

quoting
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I’ve been rained out of the Fiat mines today, and rainy days always turn into reflection days for me.

Today, my thoughts keep drifting to my dream citadel in the mountains.

Citadels were one of the first concepts that really grabbed me when I found Bitcoin. The idea of a sovereign place: rooted in sound money, real work, and real community; struck a deep chord. It still does. It’s a big part of why I keep stacking. I don’t have enough corn to build one yet, but that doesn’t stop me. In the meantime, I’m building the skills, habits, and relationships I’ll need to make it possible. And honestly, just thinking about it has become a kind of practice. A mental blueprint I revise and refine with each passing season.

Lately, I’ve been asking myself: Would it need to be near water for hydroelectric? Could solar and wind cover the rest? How much infrastructure is “enough” before it stops feeling free and starts feeling synthetic? Can you automate and digitize a space without losing the soul of it?

To me, a citadel isn’t about retreating from the world; it’s about building something better in it. I’ve always believed humans are like bacteria on this planet, but we get to choose: are we healing the system or making it sicker? If I build a citadel, I want it to be regenerative, not just sustainable. A place where the land is healthier, the air cleaner, the water purer because we’re there, not despite it. Just because it’s a sanctuary doesn’t mean it can’t also be a living tribute to the wild.

There’s a lot of fear out there around smart cities: total control, surveillance, algorithmic life, but the answer isn’t just to reject it. It’s to build something equally ambitious, rooted in different values. Citadels, at their best, are that counterweight. If the future is going to extremes, we need to meet it with our own. The more centralized and technocratic the world becomes, the harder I’ll push to build something sovereign, human-scaled, and rooted in truth.

So I’m curious…does anyone else still dream of citadels? And beyond the obvious appeal of security or community, what draws you in most? For me, it’s the chance to live in alignment: with the land, with people I trust, and with principles that don’t change with the market cycle.