What's the point of running a node?
I've been running a bitcoin node out of my basement for a few years. At the beginning of this year, I upgraded the 1 TB drive to 2 TB when I realized the size had gotten over 900 GB.
I'm not anything special. I don't have a wallet on there. I had just bought into the idea that running a node was an illustration of support for the network and was a contribution to decentralization. I'm definitely a 'non-economic' node.
I've been observing the discourse over the past couple months with the BIP-110 debate and the conclusion / realization that pleb node runners have no influence on the network. I understand better the importance of PoW in making change and even having vote. So I genuinely ask (and not looking to start another BIP-110 debate) - what's the point of running a node at home?
If it's not to feel good about myself because I validated my own transactions, aren't I just offering personal storage space out there for companies that want to store shit on chain? The monetary piece, that I care about, goes on without me and there are plenty of big, "economic" players to handle it.
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