For popularizer Lorena Ortiz, bitcoin allows “to see reality without anesthesia.”
According to Álvaro D. María, BTC allows people to have unconfiscatable property.
In the recent edition of LABITCONF 2025, CriptoNoticias had the opportunity to cover the panel titled “The Orange Pill – How and why does bitcoin change you?” The session brought together several bitcoiners who reflected on the way Satoshi’s creation has transformed the economy and society.
The panel included the participation of: Adrián Bernabéu, author of the book “Bitcoinism: the era of unconfiscatable wealth”; the popularizer known as The Bitcoin Libertarian; Lunaticoin, one of the most recognized podcasters about BTC in Spanish; Álvaro D. María, author of “The Philosophy of Bitcoin”; and the Mexican bitcoiner Lorena Ortiz. The meeting was moderated by Agustín Kassis, CEO of La Cryptaone of the largest BTC communities in Argentina.
The debate started with a question that, at first glance, seemed trivial, but quickly revealed the passion of the community: “Could you be with someone who doesn’t share your vision of bitcoin?” Kassis asked. Ortiz, from Mexico, expressed that The passion for bitcoin is not a hobby but a way of life.
“No. Directly. Being a bitcoiner goes beyond saying that you like bitcoin or have bitcoin. It is an ideology that is too deep in how you are, how you see the world, how you develop, your values, your ideals… With the bitcoiners I found that.
Lorena Ortiz, bitcoiner and Mexican entrepreneur.
In this line, Adrian Bernabéu agreed that BTC followers tend to share values linked to liberal thought. However, when asked if you can be a bitcoiner without having to be a libertarian, he responded that, although “it is very complicated,” he knows that “there are communists who identify with bitcoin.” In his view, the asset “has so many facets and vertices, so many points of view, that it can fit into different ideological currents.”
The orange pill and discovering bitcoin
The talk soon turned to the topic that gave its name to the panel, linked to the famous red and blue pills from the movie Matrix (1999). Kassis asked the participants: for them, what does the famous “orange pill” represent? According to Bernabéu himself, it symbolizes a moment of revelation that completely transforms the understanding of reality.
«The orange pill is the process in which you end up discovering bitcoin and realizing its full potential. There is practically no option left: pill or suppository. The other option is poverty, being in a very complicated situation.
Adrián Bernabéu, author of the book “Bitcoinism: the era of unconfiscatable wealth.”
Ortiz, for his part, He described the experience as an awakening.: «Generally, humans live under anesthesia, and the orange pill allows you to see reality without that anesthesia. It is an enhancer of who you really are and what you can do.
Álvaro D. María, who a few weeks ago stated that bitcoin has the ability to put ordinary people on par with the government, complemented the idea by explaining how the orange pill can transform people’s perception of reality.
«I define it as that moment when bitcoin clicks for you. It changes the way, the glasses with which you see the world. It is like leaving a state of previous beliefs and opening up to a fascinating world.
Álvaro D. María, bitcoiner and lawyer.
The cinematic metaphor arose inevitably. The Matrix, the iconic science fiction film starring Keanu Reeves, has become a symbol of awakening for many bitcoiners. They believe that Nakamoto’s initiative allows users to see the “code” underlying society and understand that the world, as it is presented to us, is, to a large extent, a simulation.
“Bitcoin is that orange pill that makes you see the real world with all the good and all the bad,” summarized The Bitcoin Libertarian.
The presentation also addressed the challenges and responsibilities that come with this awakening. For the participants, internal struggle, commitment to oneself and perseverance in the face of a system that does not always act fairly are part of the bitcoiner experience. Álvaro D. María also highlighted the importance of absolute assets, claiming that “BTC allows us to have a property that they cannot take away from us, they cannot dilute us.”
Between fear, education and the future: the Bitcoin experience
In the last segment, the panelists took the opportunity to address some of the concerns that exist within the community. Lunaticoin opened the exchange stating that, in his case, he has no fear about the direction of bitcoin. In his opinion, the risks do not fall on the technology but on those who do not yet understand its true scope.
Along these lines, Lorena Ortiz delved into the importance of education and support for newcomers. For her, the challenge is to awaken interest without imposing a vision: «Bitcoin is a pill that enters you from one side or the other. My biggest concern is what will happen to those who still cannot understand it.
With these reflections, the speakers agreed that bitcoin not only functions as a store of value, but also as a catalyst for personal and social transformation. Taking the orange pill, they stated, implies assuming a change of era that influences how we live, invest and relate.