The Covid pandemic has accelerated the efforts and awareness of cryptocurrencies as retail and institutional investors flock to get into the next opportunity. While making money can be a noble cause, as a society we have a lot bigger problems than displacing fiat currencies and globalizing asset exchanges. Our immune system has been the primary focus in the media, meanwhile we have been overlooking our mental health and the cost of that has yet to be tabulated. Depending on the geographic region in which you reside the influence of Covid on your life is probably vastly different, the subjectiveness of the individuals experience is as diverse as each individual on the planet is. Regardless of who, or where you are in the world, there is nobody safe from the negative thought patterns that easily and insidiously creep into our minds. Staying informed is a double edged sword, the media is by nature going to spread fear as it spreads information. With far reaching lockdowns and restrictive regulations people have had more time than ever to ingest an endless supply of content at the cost of their mental health. While it is challenging to fully realize the damage since we are currently still living in the pandemic, there has already been a significant spike in opioid deaths, suicides, children's helpline calls and an unprecedented level of anxious and depressed humans. As disheartening as the stats and the reality of the current situation is, there is a rainbow at the end of this storm.

This is why we see Mental as such an amazing initiative. Mental is the first cryptocurrency fighting mental health and bringing awareness to the cause. Mental is a charitable coin that donates 5% of all tokens to charities such as the Canadian Mental Health Association, National Alliance of Mental Illness, Mental Health American and the American Foundation for Suicide prevention. The team behind the coin want to show the world that a cryptocurrency can be used to fight a great cause. The goal is to raise $1 million dollars to raise awareness for mental health.  As donations through bitcoin and other digital currencies become more accessible and accepted, crypto-philanthropy will grow. No doubt there will also be more developments of smart contracts and blockchain managed tracking of donations which, if successful, could establish a new norm for transparency in philanthropy. $MENTAL is looking to be at the forefront of that philanthropy change.