I don't want to be an influencer.
Becoming successful as an influencer requires specialization. You have to choose one area, whether it's diet, politics, Bitcoin, or anything else, and focus on it. Don't change lanes. "Stay in your lane," as they say.
Well, I refuse to stay in my lane.
I spend time on social media. I have a YouTube channel, a Telegram channel, accounts on X and Instagram, and, most importantly to me, Nostr. I could have chosen one subject, focused exclusively on it, and stopped talking about everything else. Perhaps I would have gained more followers that way.
But I come from Iran. I'm an Iranian living in exile because I cannot return to my country. I have chosen to speak out against the regime that rules my homeland, and I will continue doing so regardless of how many followers it costs me. If you don't support my people's struggle for freedom, I don't want to have anything to do with you.
When people are being massacred in Iran, I cannot simply carry on talking about Bitcoin. When young people are being executed, when our struggle for freedom is being undermined, and when misinformation about my country is being spread by so-called "investigative journalists," I refuse to remain silent.
I don't care if you value their opinions more than mine. I will speak my mind.
I have always wanted my presence on social media to reflect, as closely as possible, who I am in real life. I share what I've learned with others, express my views, and use these platforms as a kind of personal diary.
We are human beings. We have different interests, convictions, and dimensions to our lives. Not everything is about the gym. Not everything is about Bitcoin. Not everything is about our love for our country or our desire for freedom. Life is a mixture of all these things.
One day, I might write about Bitcoin; another day about the COVID hysteria and vaccine mandates; another about the carnivore diet, because that's what I've chosen for myself. And on yet another day, I might write about Iran, politics, history, or something I've recently learned.
I don't care if someone who followed me for Bitcoin gets offended by my "unscientific" views about the COVID vaccines.
I might be mistaken. I might be wrong. Something I consider true today might turn out to be false tomorrow. I'm perfectly comfortable changing my mind when presented with better evidence. But I will not mince words to please an audience.
If you're an antisemite who believes Jews run the world, or a flat-earther who rejects basic scientific knowledge, your antisemitism and flat-earth nonsense only demonstrate your lack of intellect. I wouldn't want to interact with you in real life, so why should I worry about losing you as a follower?
I don't care whether you're a radical leftist or a radical right-winger. I will not stop standing up for Jewish people against antisemitism, nor will I give credibility to those who deny or downplay atrocities committed against them.
Likewise, I will not validate anyone who undermines my own people's struggle for freedom. I don't care how respected they are, how influential they appear, or how many followers they have.
We can disagree. That's perfectly fine. But I will not compromise my principles for engagement, popularity, or an audience.
If I lose followers, so be it. I am what I am.
I don't want to be an influencer. I don't want to be a content creator whose job is to feed an audience exactly what it wants to hear.
I want to speak my mind, share what I learn, defend what I believe in, and remain free to change my mind.
And at the end of the day, the people who stay with me will be my people. I might lose some along the way, but those who choose to stay, knowing exactly who I am and what I stand for, mean the world to me.
A good physician is not judged by how well they regurgitate what they were taught in medical school. A good doctor is measured by how many lives they have saved or improved.
A great example is Dr. Richard Bernstein, who entered medicine from an engineering background. Living with type 1 diabetes, he was thrilled to be able to measure his blood glucose at home after figuring out how to power a glucose meter with batteries instead of plugging it into an electrical outlet.
He lived to 90. How many diabetic patients do you know who have lived to 90? How many healthy people do you know who have reached that age?
So many doctors cannot even help themselves, let alone others. Because nutrition is the key and modern medicine has gotten it all wrong!
