Right now I am starting to feel like this is just a way to make money. Nothing more nothing less. You buy into btc or other coins and in no way are you really supporting the project, besides maybe adding to the order books at the exchanges with some minor effect until whales decided to take over. I sometimes have some sort of dishonest feeling, like the money I make through buying (and seldom) selling is somehow dirty as it comes from people that simply do less research, bail out or simply already had their take.
There's no way around it: The volatile cryptocurrency market cycles (including Bitcoin's) are driven by speculative hype, not usage or utility. The BTC chart reminds me of commodity boom-and-bust cycles, where significant divergence from the cost of production indicates a "bubble." A return to the mean always follows. In between, lots of winners and losers are created. In fact, most traders lose money. They buy near the top out of greed and sell near the bottom out of fear.
In the long run, we (as cryptocurrency investors) may all be winners. But in the shorter term, trading is generally zero sum. There's always someone on the other side of the trade, and your profits are derived from their mistakes. This is the life of a trader or investor.
I started with high feelings of morality, being part of some new future where block chain would be the next internet. Right now it feels like a rat race where you have to grab as much money as possible before others take it before you or from you.
If blockchains are the next internet, then these speculative cycles must continue. That's the nature of a limited/deflationary supply. Early adopters know that if Bitcoin usage becomes mainstream, that there are very few coins to go around. You have to expect greed in that context.