Benefits of Running a Node: An Open Discussion

Preface: This discussion spawned from a debate between a friend and I, about the benefits of someone currently running their own Bitcoin node, and the true value of doing so. Would love to get public feedback on this discussion and understand things that we are missing, and where we have some knowledge gaps.

Full Node Benefits View One:

• The main benefits of running your own node are privacy, and being philanthropic. You are able to propagate transactions yourself, and aren't sending your data through a third party that can understand more about you. You can be truly private with your Bitcoin by running your own node. Doing so is also benefiting the Bitcoin ecosystem as a whole, and you are doing everyone a favour.
• Diminishing returns in decentralization: Bitcoin going from 5,000 to 10,000 nodes decentralizes the network more than going from 10,000 to 15,000 nodes. Each marginal node added is less added decentralization.
• While running your own node is the pinnacle of using Bitcoin, it is not necessarily a security flaw to use modern wallets that connect you to dozens of other nodes. Bitcoin in its modern state has enough nodes out there that randomly connecting to 10-12 in a third party wallet gives enough certainty that your wallet is displaying the correct data.

Full Node Benefits View Two:

• The main benefit of running your own node is security of your funds. Being able to know with complete certainty that the funds you are sending and receiving truly are Bitcoin and not some random forked coin.
• In the future, everyone will eventually run their own node in their home.
• If you are not running your own node, you are not truly using Bitcoin.
• Third party nodes can not be trusted and have the ability to redirect your coins and/or not send your transaction.