Of Trends and Counter-Trends

Every tide has a riptide that moves, sometimes ferociously, in the opposite direction. Similarly, every trend has a counter-trend. In recent days, the Bank of England and the Chinese government have each announced major crypto-currency explorations. Either of these would bring Bitcoin and its peers into the realm of "official' finance. And, at the same time, India is proposing to ban crypto and criminalize mining and trading.This remind me that while the arc of progress may look relatively smooth at a distance (sometimes at considerable distance), its lived experience can seem quite jerky and unsmooth.