Cattle have all their needs taken care of them by the farmer: they are well fed, they have good shelter, and they are "safe" from predators. It is easy to make arguments for how the cow is better off than his ancestors; In every measurable aspect its life is "better" than that of a wild animal. It all comes at the low, low price of his complete autonomy and freedom.
Is it better to be cow or a wildebeest? The answer is simple: is life greater than the sum of its individual (hedonistic) parts?
I take it you live Thoreau-style, in a cabin in the wilderness completely off-grid? You farm and hunt your own food and do not rely on civilization for any of your needs?
Please just do a little Google/Wikipedia on Adam Smith.
Everyone trying to do 'their own stuff' is basically, stupid.
We gain immensely by the division of labour: the cobbler makes the shoes, the farmer grows food, the banker manages money. Were you to try to 'make your own iPhone in your back yard' you would fail.
We are 'rich' because of this.
Otherwise, we'd be literally feral monkeys.
Bitcoin has little to do with 'control or surveillance'.
You do not need to 'hold' USD in order to live. You just need to use USD in a 'current account' for purposes of transaction. In that context, monetary policy should not matter that much to you - or even frankly anything the Fed does.
If you only buy dollars when you need the to do something else, then frankly, everything about the USD should be basically irrelevant.
And you can still do most things in cash, if you really want. You can put your USDs under your bed, in the closet if you want.
Is it better to be cow or a wildebeest? The answer is simple: is life greater than the sum of its individual (hedonistic) parts?