You hit the nail on the head but it's in contradiction with your point. Proof of work frees us from the burdens associated with protecting ourselves so that we

You hit the nail on the head but it's in contradiction with your point. Proof of work frees us from the burdens associated with protecting ourselves so that we can perform creative functions. Clearly a GPU, as a general purpose chip, is not well spent performing proof of work over something that amplifies one's creativity. But pow with asics, which couldn't have been used for that purpose, certainly helps. You could argue both are wasteful -- but an investment in security is an investment in creativity by providing a safe environment