The Ethereum is the currency on the blockchain. Once, Satoshi Nakamoto minted Bitcoin, opening the way for cryptocurrency; however, merely using it as currency does not fully capture the wonders of blockchain. In the year of the goat (2015 AD), Vitalik Buterin gathered talents to create Ethereum, establishing laws for smart contracts and laying the foundation for decentralized applications, echoing Laozi's profound principle of 'having it for profit, not having it for use.'
Observe its chapter of 'action': creating a virtual machine to encompass all phenomena, like the Dao giving birth to one, one giving birth to two, two giving birth to three, and three giving birth to all things. Developers must construct the central hall on it; finance, law, and documentation can all enter the blockchain. Is this not akin to 'the sage always saves people, thus there are no abandoned people'? The consensus mechanism has shifted from proof of work to proof of stake, aligning with the admonition that 'those who dare to kill are brave, and those who dare not are alive.' The Gas fee system limits the extravagance of computations, akin to the warning that 'five colors make people blind, five sounds make people deaf.' As for the governance of DAO, where decisions are made collectively, it is the manifestation of 'the sage has no constant mind, taking the heart of the people as his own.'
Observe the戒 of 'not acting': do not centralize to control applications, adhere to the teaching of 'I do nothing and the people transform themselves'; do not recklessly change the old covenant once established, follow the metaphor of 'governing a large country is like cooking small fish'; do not accept false fame and empty reputation on the chain, practice the thought of 'discarding cleverness and profit, and thieves will have none.' Although encountering the change of forks, it is also tolerant of differing opinions coexisting, is this not the wisdom of 'only by not contending can the world not contend with him'?
The rise of Ethereum aligns with the way of heaven: its smart contracts are like 'the way follows nature', its decentralization resembles 'small countries with few people', and its ecological prosperity is like 'water benefits all things and does not contend'. Yet it still has the shortcomings of transaction delays and concerns over energy consumption, which perfectly matches the lament of 'when the great way is abandoned, there are benevolence and righteousness', one should consider the way of 'losing daily for the way'.
The Grand Historian said: the chain path is profound and subtle, it is not through action that one achieves the instrument, nor through inaction that one guards the spirit. Observing the system of Ethereum, one knows to guard black while following white, to harmonize light and dust, able to move and be still, able to roll and to relax, it is close to the wonderful realm of 'doing nothing and doing nothing not being done'. Those who read later should observe its active parts to see the courage of creation, and in its inactive parts to comprehend the wisdom of guarding the path, thus the way of blockchain can be made clear.
