The individual pain of building a community

in #steem6 years ago (edited)

I just read this article by @meno about wealth distribution on and off Steem and it is well worth a read. It isn't about the numbers, it is collected thoughts.

Firstly however, I would like to say Screw you @meno because I was planning the start of my Steem holiday of easy posting for a week while my bro is here but, here we are. Let's face it, it was probably a pipe dream anyway.

Wealth distribution is a tricky topic and as @meno rightly said,

No doubt economics is a complicated subject, and one that does not interest most of the its participants

This 'throwaway' comment strikes at the core of most of the issues that face not only economics but, society as a whole. People just aren't interested in the things that influence their lives until they feel pain. No one cares about tax laws until they notice the loss, no one cares about refugees until they are affected by being one or having to pay for one, no one cares about the ones they love until they are faced with the possibility of losing them. Not caring is a selfish position because it only changes when the self is affected.

Yes, the rich get richer... but do you want to know how that is possible? Because the not-rich support the base of the pyramid that drives value to the top and then crushes themselves while wanting to be just like them. I have mentioned before the hypocrisy of the crypto world who shout for freedom from economic slavery yet have the ultimate goal of, Lambo! It is part of the problem, our desire to be at the top is is a process of driving value continually to the top, clambering over each other to be king of the pile but, there is always a position higher, someone always has a little more.

When we talk about what is fair or they cheated, is is selfish too because what we think is fair is what benefits us and their cheating is only so because we are not willing to play by those rules. Yes, there are questions of morality that come into play here but, people just aren't interested in those areas of life either. Well, until someone else's immorality causes pain. Then, it is up on the high horse claiming bloody murder while ignoring all of one's own behaviours that caused others pain and were dismissed as, the way the game is played. If we can gain without being held accountable for our actions, most will because without cost, there is no pain, no need to consider the ramifications of our actions. But, because we have caused another pain, we are now oppressors and they the victim who will mount their own horse.

People want to blame the system for the inequalities but it is us as people who have created these systems and it is us as people who choose not to learn about the very systems that affect us, that we operate in and affect back. We have mountains of information at our fingertips but instead choose to entertain the mind and body for pleasure and then complain when someone we never considered causes us pain. This is a cycle of stupidity where those who understand will either game the system in their favor or, find a way to step outside of the need to play. It is an ugly world when we look at our own failing to make it any better, isn't it?

"Poverty is a consequence of a mind, not purely circumstantial, but the lie is convenient" is a quote taken from @meno's post from one of his acquaintances. Do you understand what that means? Do you really? Take the time, no one can tell you the answer.

Which leads onto the other selfish act of humanity, expecting that answers are delivered, easily and cheaply n a form that any simpleton can understand, bullet points, diagrams with large X's marked to point to where the treasure lays. And we pay through the nose for it yet never consider, if it is so simple, so cheap to obtain, why aren't their more benefiting from it? The answer is there of course because what is simple and cheap for the masses is what drives the wealth of the pin point top of society.

The concept of work yourself to death is a hard sell for a society filled with an increasing number of instant gratifiers who are looking for a life of workless wealth. A life of luxury without having to invest, commit, suffer, sacrifice. A few words and platitudes on a sunset background is all that is needed to live a successful life, the Instagram life.

I have mentioned countless times that Steem is a microcosm that replicates the greater world and the problem is that rather than investing into understanding what hasn't worked in the past, we have taken the lazy approach and brought the past along with us as the operating guide. If a better system is to be built, it requires people to unlearn the behaviours that have been installed and invest into understanding what is and what is not possible. Everyone has an opportunity to benefit but just like time immemorable, it is going to be those who do the work who will end up benefiting the most heavily, those who take on the risk of uncertainty for a better future. And, it is a risk.

What people fail to recognise in that pinpoint peak that everyone despises and adores simultaneously is that even though they did the work and took the risks, there are multitudes who didn't make it and those who did, risked a lot to be there. If they had failed, they would not have targets on their back but the risk of success was always a Hail Mary on the outskirts of their arm's ability, while the Linebackers breath could be felt on their necks. Often, for years at a time.

The economic models are difficult but most people don't have even a basic image of what is going on and instead use the emotional position of how they feel to build their views. And, we only build when we feel pain.

Now, when it comes to building a healthy middleclass we have to face certain truths. Most people are short term thinkers (instant gratification) either through their mindset or based on necessity of life. When it comes to those who are looking long, there is very little support for them to do so but out of that group, there are a smaller section that are able to offer something of value to the ecosystem though some kind of trade of ideas, development, interaction etc that is needed.

The middle-class has to grow based on strength of character and willingness to invest into the community. The character can only be guessed at through content and track-record. Most people here do not have a strong track record and, many are unable to offer much of value to the community through their content. What I mean by adding valuable content it is what leads to a stronger community, not just information that can be collected from any book, no matter how interesting.

But, this is the problem because to have that middle-class requires things that people aren't willing to do. People work to retain the lower end, encourage new users to come on and try to get them to stay but, just as they start to get traction, the support is taken away and they must end for themselves. What this means is that they are going to not only have to offer themselves to the community in various ways, the community is not going to help them much along the way.

It takes a huge amount of work to do this, I know, I have been in this position for well over a year now and I am grateful to the people who have stuck by me yet, it is an incredibly hard road. I don't think there are many people on this platform who truly understand what I am talking about with that. But, I feel like the tides might be shifting as more people realise the need for the middle-class of SP holders yet, there is still the entitlement idea that it should be easy and that I am worthy of being in that group. The hard truth is, most are not capable of getting there.

Despite the flaws in the system itself, it isn't the system that is to blame, it is the lack of understanding inherent in the user base that fails to recognize all of the components at play, most fail to understand even the basics. Some will say that it is the job of Steem to educate but they are wrong, that is the easy path that the masses can eat but benefits no one. For one to qualify, they have to get their own hands dirty, they are going to have to want to learn, not just be told how to do it. The problem is, we are consumers for the most part, trained to be told what to do by authorities who benefit from us doing it their way. See the problem?

Our easy solution and platitudes serve the very system we are trying to break free from because they are agendas spoon fed to us by people we have elected as authorities because they promised to make life easier. We have outsourced our decision making to serve them and operate for their cause as their suggestions are biased by their desires. We are no different, we desired easy so we suggested to ourselves to listen to an authority.

We have turned the most creative minds the earth has ever seen into robotic behaviours dictated by a master and then wonder why we do not behave in our real best interests. I say real because although we think people act for themselves, it is not true, they act the way they have been taught to act by those who they have chosen as their gods but do not see that they have been taught to act in the self-interest of the god, not the individual. If one was to wake up, this would be obvious however, it will be painful.

So, where to from here? That is up to you. For me, I will keep doing what I do and adjusting as I continue to learn to try and be part of a community that may not actually want me directly but, would benefit if I stayed. There are quite a few of us doing the same but, nowhere near enough.

You might get value out of this or you might pick it apart at the points you feel are incorrect but it is almost certainly not going to be found in Trending. Everyone wants a healthier ecosystem where more people have opportunity to benefit yet, they continually support content that is for pleasure, consumption and avoidance of the very issue that is at the core of the problem; ourselves.

Taraz
[ a Steemit original ]

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I was going to leave a thoughtful comment, starting with the following moneyquote:

Yes, there are questions of morality that come into play here but, people just aren't interested in those areas of life either. Well, until someone else's immorality causes pain. Then, it is up on the high horse claiming bloody murder while ignoring all of one's own behaviours that caused others pain and were dismissed as, the way the game is played. If we can gain without being held accountable for our actions, most will because without cost, there is no pain, no need to consider the ramifications of our actions.

But as I continued reading... this post covers it all and pretty much takes the bat to the man in a way better than I could have done.

TL:DR: I challenge the whole entitled class to first build something, then continue to manage it, and finally report whether that potential life of wealthy ones is one they still would like to also benefit now they know how much it stakes to achieve even 1% of that.

I am glad you read on. Many will not even bother.

I challenge the whole entitled class to first build something, then continue to manage it, and finally report whether that potential life of wealthy ones is one they still would like to also benefit now they know how much it stakes to achieve even 1% of that.

They will make an attempt for a day, week or month with the information they know and a quote or two and then say, They did their best but the game is rigged. Perhaps that is their best and if that is the case, they can't really complain that the game is rigged. I can't kick a ball like a professional footballer so, I am not entitled to be a professional footballer.

Kicking that ball isn’t the hardest thing to learn.

But the thousands and thousands hours required to become always better, the numerous times being kicked off the park by mates, opponents better and to always get up again, over and over, and keep being driven. Through wind or rain. To resist each adolescent temptation and instead go to training every day. To feel like a failure day after day because more often than not that kick just wasn’t exquisite enough. To come from injuries, despite already having everything in life and then some...

Even not taking into account what many of them give back to the community... I have no problem with Zlatan, Becks, CR7, and their ilk milking their brand as much as they can in that short career they have. The drive required to become even merely a professional player is tremendous and I can but admire their effort, resilience, and perseverance.

This is why they deserve to be there (although the pay is ludicrous).

Here, creating good content (kicking the ball) is the 'easy' part. Perhaps the curation initiatives should start rewarding good people, those willing to get up and early and stay late to train.

If I could afford 20k SP (better even 50k) to run something similar to Kenny’s Tribe... you would definitely be one of the members benefiting regular boosts because of your continued efforts.

I even promise I wouldn’t use more than 15% of voting power on myself (8% if 50k). LOL

But then again, if my aunt had testicles, she would be my uncle.

Biggest threat I see to building a middle class reflects the threats they face in the physical world as well. I would think trying to build middle class community instead of individuals would also be the way to move forward.

Inflation. How much per week does someone even need to be earning to keep the same % of stake per week anyways? 40k-60k SP middle class today is not tomorrows middle class.

Keeping up with the joneses as they say. No matter your best efforts after a while you just no longer can keep up with all the changes going on and being “cutting edge.” There are quite a few ways to earn something here. I swear almost something new daily with different platforms coming up carrying large SP deletions with them to upvote content. You also have the automation that could simply replace those trying to working themselves to death.

Drugs usage. People dream so often of reaching trending and getting that next new high. More upvotes, more restreems, more comments, higher payout numbers. Once they buy it to get there they will have to buy even more to get even further. I’ve seen it happen with a lot of minnows on the lower end with what little scraps they have to toss at things. Once you really start to have money to toss around that will be a risk in its self.

Fraud and Theft. Besides people stealing content and earning a reward that is taking it away from the harder workers. There is always that risk of accounts getting stolen. People targeting them because of the size of their wallet and them not being able to turn down people who are “in need of help. ” Not to mention all the people wanting to come along just for easy upvotes and ride them.

Loss of a major income source. To even make it to middle income you need some big bakers here on steemit or a high paying job to have the spare income to buy in often to build. Unless they just leave auto upvoting on and don’t ever check in there a good chance over time or power down; which, is often what happens. Community that support people also raise and fall and many of them over time degrade in their own ability to help.

That is quite a lot for a single person to overcome. I think we need more middle class community’s out there supporting amazing things. If one person in them is no longer able to carry the flag they can pass it off to the next willing person who can deal with the stress, working themselves to death, and the endless heart breaks it will cause. Thinking your way out of poverty is often a team task.

I would think trying to build middle class community instead of individuals

The communities would need to be built around significant amounts of SP to do it fast enough rather than organically and slowly creating the community as some users build and others sell. In some way, high SP users are kind of like tiny apps as they attract more users to them. if they then support their interest areas, those they attract create a niche community.

I agree, there are many drug users here looking for the next high. it is a losing game.

Your point of the community is valid and that is why not everyone would be able to be targeted for growth as many are just not community minded. Some however are already building communities on shoestrings. give them some rope and they can pull a lot more.

Hi Taraz. I hear you loud and clear. Very true what you have said. To get to the middle class is a slog and very few will achieve this. It takes someone with a strong work ethic and a will to drive them on. That is not a common characteristic in a human as we always look for the road that will be the easiest. I hope others stay around who joined this year and don't give up. I have no plans to and will just double my efforts.

I think that there is going to be two critical points where either enough people 'dig in/or don't' and enough people off them 'support/or don't'. Enough digging in and enough supporting will fire this place up incredibly. The alternatives are not great.

As long as there are enough diggers and supporters around us maybe it will inspire others.

The 'throwaway comment' has probably even deeper implications. I think it is part of a larger problem and that problem is closer to what can be phrased as - 'Not giving a Shit'.

It would be understandable if it were an issue of merely being selfish but in the end it is an issue of giving up and admitting that - 'since we can't do anything about it then why bother?'

The traditional ideas of jobs and employment are gradually outliving their usefulness. The generation before ours have survived using the tools that are basically worn out now. It would be great if we were all actively looking into the problem and then it would make sense to even blame the older generation in some ways. Now we cannot really do that because to call out our predecessors, the successors should at least be willing to change the present.

Blaming the past for the current inactivity is the victim mentality that gets continually encouraged. There is so much potential in the world but it is impossible to harness with idle hands and minds.

I must admit I get a little aggravated when I see people powering down and taking money out of the system, though I really shouldn't.. its their choice at the end of the day.

What I do (power up everything), is not to everybody's liking I guess, but where will the middle class come from if this not done?

What I do (power up everything), is not to everybody's liking I guess, but where will the middle class come from if this not done?

If this place survives, you are going to have a large target on your back drawn by the people who were unwilling to do the work and take the risks.

Possibly If I had a smiling avatar like your's but my maniacal one seems to deter new followers. Perhaps I should revert to my old 'real' persona just to see what happens? I'm all about experimentation :)

Just as long as you don't go with someone else's baby photo or a top model, I'm ok with being a little scared :D

Firstly however, I would like to say Screw you @meno because I was planning the start of my Steem holiday of easy posting for a week while my bro is here but, here we are. Let's face it, it was probably a pipe dream anyway.
Hahaha. You are steemaholic. I suppose you couldn't pass on this subject

See People needs to be adventures , they need to start taking risks, they need to learn how to fail and still face and stand up to the society then only they will be able to find success.

Yes this might not get in trending but the people who will spend 3mins in reading this and after an hour on analysing himself will surely have a better idea about himself and his future path .

es this might not get in trending but the people who will spend 3mins in reading this and after an hour on analysing himself will surely have a better idea about himself and his future path .

Too much effort yet, the latest season of that banal show just got realeased so, binge watch.

I don't know if there is ever going to be a healthy middle class here. The rich get richer and there is only a finite amount of steem that will be made.

The middle class will come, it will just be lower down the scale than it seems now. the high SP will either slowly sell or, be pinpoints in the distance. It doesn't really matter and could be great if they are active community builders.

The middle class will come, it will just be lower down the scale than it seems now.

Agreed. 1000's of 30-60k SP holders seems a long way away - I'll see you there in a year or 3 though :)

there will never be a large group of 30-60k SP users, ever.

You are probably right. Taraz will get there though, and one day I hope I will too.

EDIT: By the way, I notice you are sending SBD to blocktrades, and bringing STEEM back in. Could you not use the internal Market for this, I'm sure it will save you costs?

Maybe one day i will try both at same time and compare them......

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People just aren't interested in the things that influence their lives until they feel pain.

This is where the problems of humanity emerges from, we should take time to study and understand everything that makes us who we are, not that we start running at every slight changes, knowing everything would give us added advantage

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