Welcome back to our weekly Drop in the Ocean post where we feature the amazing content that was created for the show.

This weeks topic was Obligation which simply put can be an ethical conundrum, with topics such as moral obligation and family to holding the door for someone because they are tailgating you.

It is a difficult part of life that has lead to many people succumbing to the pressures resulting in bad circumstances. Mostly we are capable of navigating our obligations without a second thought, some are ingrained in us and some we just give no thought.

Our obligation this week though is to bring you all the great posts from our Drop in the Ocean show so let us dive right in.

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_{Photo by Matthew Mazzei on Unsplash}

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The votes have been rolling in from the attendees of the show and we have the posts ready to share with you all.

The top two voted writers will 'level up'. When a member has levelled up, they will receive a daily upvote from the BuddyUP account at 50%. The member keeps their level for 2 weeks, unless they level up again on DITO within those 2 weeks. Every time you level up, you will receive an additional 10% on your daily vote, maxing out at level 5.

The writer with the most votes will be resteemed straight after this post. This is so we can all look back at the BuddyUP blog and see the winning posts from each week.

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And the winners are...

Voting has now been opened to allow every @BuddyUP member to cast their vote for their favorite Drop in the Ocean post, instead of only those who attended the show. With all the votes in for this weeks Drop in the Ocean posts, we are happy to present the two who will level up this week.

If you are wondering how you can join the Drop in the Ocean show, you will find all the required information at the bottom of this post.

Now, let's find out who gains a level this week...

@Monchhichi23

Either we know someone that can't say no to helping others very easily or it is most likely you. I am sure we can all agree that it is a difficult thing to say no to someone asking for assistance.

@Monchhichi23 is one of those people who finds it very difficult to say no to helping others, which at times is not a bad thing. It becomes a bad thing when this puts her at a disadvantage as these people take advantage.

The more you do for someone, the more they expect and when you have trouble saying no, just imagine where that can lead.

Finding herself questioning why she might feel obligated to certain people even though assisting them only has a negative effect on her personally, @Monchhichi23 shares her experience with obligation with us candidly.

It becomes a vicious cycle though. So-called friends, calling needing a helping hand. You help.

Be sure to read the full post and share your thoughts on difficult obligations you tend to agree to against your better judgement here

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@Shadowspub

Having to tell your mother that you can't attend your grandmother's funeral because of another obligation certainly isn't easy. @shadowspub recollects a conversation she had with her mother saying just that.

The repercussions from a conversation like that could turn a relationship sour but some obligations take precedence over others.

That was an actual conversation I had with my mother. It was her mother who had died, so, for a while, I incurred her wrath.

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Obligations may at times feel like they give you no choice and force a person to become reactive in a bad spirited manner. @Shadowspub shares not only a moment that might have left anyone else vexed but great advice worth remembering.

The fact that you have a choice to how much importance you give to obligations and that many times if you take pause and decide what is truly important the decision although not pleasing everyone will be the best to reach an agreeable result.

It’s important to recognize obligations for what they are, prioritize them and then act on them. I decide the priority and I’m responsible for the outcome.

Read her story and heed the advice Here

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Current DITO standings

NAME	LEVEL	TIME
@Monchhichi23	1 (50%)	2 Weeks
@Shadowspub	2(60%)	2 Week
@BluefinStudios	2(60%)	2 Weeks
@Penderis	1(50%)	1 Weeks

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Our runners up for this week

This weeks drop in the ocean includes some great poetry, a philosphical approach and a reminder that family comes first. Thank you to everyone who shared their posts with us as it provides a plethora of perspectives on the topic.

I dare say your obligation now is to visit and enjoy everyone of the posts above and below to share your thoughts or gain a better way of looking at how you deal with your obligations.

So where are the rest of the posts?

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Shares his thoughts on obligation towards family, in life and currently in times of need.
@Enginewitty - Ulog - Obligations

Finding the word a bit difficult to write for but seeing it through @TheHive shares their obligations to not only their community but also to others they are in.
@TheHive - Obligation BuddyUp Word of the Week

Expecting nothing less than thought provoking @YouHaveWings brings us a great look at Moral Obligation and how we as individuals have obligations for the betterment of the future.
@YouHaveWings - Moral Obligation

We welcome @ThisCrazyLife to their first Drop in the Ocean, as they share a beautiful poem relating to moral obligation and the current state of society, questioning whether we are living up to what it means to be human.
@ThisCrazyLife - Lines - Original Poetry

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How do you get involved?

Have you been reading through and wondering how you can get involved with our community/show? Below I've listed the steps to take, so you can jump into the action and share your perspective and views, with all of us here at BuddyUP.

• Head over to our BuddyUP server. You can do this by following the SafeLink post here.

• Think about the topic for next week, which is...

Bravery

• Write a post about that topic and come by to the Drop in the Ocean show on Monday (20:00 UTC) to present it and join the conversation.

• You are welcome to bring with a post on the topic from any other sources which you feel will contribute to the discussion. Bring a friend, bring a post and bring yourself.

Need some inspiration?

Actions	Words	Results
Help	Attempt	Ask
Stance	Risk	Give

Have you tried expressing yourself in the following ways?

Art	Poetry	Video
Audio	Fiction	Photography
Research	Opinion	Story

If you are new and you don't have a membership to BuddyUP, you will receive free access if you present in Drop in the Ocean.

The final and the most important piece of information is... do not publish your post until Sunday or Monday. This is so we can give you all the best amount of exposure possible on your posts and also so you get paid out on the day of the show; so you can come back with an even bigger smile on your face!

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_{Photo by Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash}

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You can come and speak to any of us in #the-lagoon (general chat channel in our server) or if you have any further questions, you can direct message @calumam or @penderis, and we will get in touch with you.

We're looking forward to seeing you all next week for Drop in the Ocean!

We all grow together

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This has been @penderis thanks for reading.

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All headers are credited in this post here & images are credited individually or are from the authors post.
_{Photo by Picsea on Unsplash}