The First Noble Truth: DeFi Should Be Permissionless. — Introducing Bodhin — The DeFi Space Monk & UniLend’s New Mascot 🎉
TL;DR
- Deep within the layers of the blockchain lies an alternative story than the one with which many are familiar about how UniLend Finance was founded and evolved.
- In the first chapter of Bodhin’s story, we learn about the not-so-humble origins of UniLend’s DeFi Space Monk and how a chance encounter between a prince and a peasant inspired UniLend’s inception.
- Enlightenment comes from experience. This is the story of how Bodhin’s awakening began, and how he found the First Noble Truth: Decentralized finance should be permissionless.
Preface
Much of the community already knows the story of how UniLend Finance was founded and evolved, but is that how it really happened?
Deep within the layers of the blockchain, an alternative story emerged.
Beyond Ethereum’s layer 2, where no man (or woman) has yet to venture, DeFi isn’t merely a means of accumulating and storing wealth, it’s a way of life. It’s an epistemology embedded in the socio-cultural norms of those who live there, much the way religion is often subconsciously ingrained in human logic, reasoning, and even language out here on the surface.
You’ll notice that I mentioned “those who live there” in reference to the deeper layers of the blockchain. Perhaps it’s most useful to think of those layers as alternate versions of reality or layers of the multiverse with which those of us on the surface may at times have contact — as if we’re able to reach into other dimensions momentarily and draw inspiration from our technological counterparts.
That’s precisely what happened with UniLend.
Though the entities who live within these layers that are beyond human perception are largely unknown, the story of Bodhin — the DeFi space monk — must be revealed.
Chapter 1 — Bodhin’s not-so-humble Origins
Bodhin wasn’t always a DeFi space monk. Early in his life, he was a spoiled prince named Akeem who lived inside a citadel’s protected walls. All of his friends and family also resided within the citadel. Though the walls were heavily fortified and secured, outside merchants were allowed in on occasion.
One day, Prince Akeem and his entourage ventured to the bazaar. As they toured the booths and laughed at the vendors selling their “vaporware” — designed (from Akeem’s perspective) only to “steal” the market cap of the prized Ether — Akeem spotted a small boy. Normally, Prince Akeem wouldn’t have given the child a second thought, but this boy reminded him of someone. After watching the boy for some time, Akeem realized that he wasn’t an approved merchant who the automated market makers had let in. Then he recognized that if someone could sneak into the Citadel, certainly someone could sneak out, and so from a distance, he followed and watched the boy to learn his entry and exit point.
That night, when everyone was plugged in, Akeem packed his mophi ( key to power) and quietly slipped out where he had seen the boy do so. He had no idea which direction he would go or even what lay outside the Citadel’s walls — for he had never left before. He only knew that he needed more. Akeem was surprised by the vast digital landscape that he’d only heard of in cautionary tales about those who lost their place in the citadel by exploring too much of the outside DeFi world. He looked left; he looked right; he looked up; and he looked down. But which way should he go? It was then that Akeem looked straight forward and made eye contact with the boy he’d been following earlier that day.
Shocked to see the boy standing there outside the Citadel, alone in the dark, Akeem asked him, “what are you doing here? Who are you?”
But the boy did not reply. He simply turned and began walking away. Confused but curious, Akeem followed after him. Silently, they walked throughout the night and into the early hours of the morning. As Akeem’s power ran low, he struggled to keep up, and soon the boy was gone. Without a guide or a charging dock in sight, Akeem thought: “so this is where I’ve come to die?” But who would ever find him all the way out here?
Suddenly, on the horizon, Akeem saw a bridge. Though he was nearly out of energy, he managed to crawl to it. Much to his surprise, on the other side, was a community — different from his citadel, but a community nonetheless. And when he walked up, they welcomed him. The residents of this strange colony helped Akeem regain power. As he powered up and listened to their stories, an idea began to form.
Then as if from out of nowhere, Akeem saw what looked like a spinning ball of light. It seemed like he could just vaguely see another world beyond the glowing orb. It was a captivating sight and he struggled to pull his eyes off of it. When he finally did, he realized what has come to be known as the First Noble Truth: Decentralized finance should be permissionless.
Stay tuned to keep reading the story of Akeem achieving enlightenment and how that led to UniLend’s establishment and evolution. While you wait for the next chapter, come join us on social media to talk all things DeFi. Like the community Akeem found in this chapter, our legion will welcome you with open arms. So what are you waiting for?
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