RE: Observing Venezuela: The start of a block chain observatory. (2018 May 06)
I really like that you are trying to make a difference in people's lives. I think you bring a really great energy to this cause.
I personally have failed many times planning things myself and then trying to appeal to people to join. I also like to work collaboratively and in a loose kind of way. So now my method is to just do what I do but in a way that others can join if they want to and the more the merrier, but that I can still potentially make a difference with my own work.
As for Venezuela I'm mostly just interested in sharing ideas and my own perspective because that's what I have to offer. I am too far removed from this problem to put lots of time and energy into helping, not too far removed to care though. I personally believe that people should search for their own solutions rather than appealing to the state to change their behavior, and obviously stand up when their solutions are being interfered with.
I am not a big supporter of charity because it doesn't solve systematic causes of poverty, nor does it necessarily change the culture in order to solve problems, though I applaud people who are trying to make sure everyone is fed and clothed etc. @bigdude seems to be doing a good job.
If people can't come together in communities to work out solutions on their own, I don't really know what to say. But I do think some steemians are willing to try. @steamdan comes to mind, he's a really awesome guy and I think if you could find 4-5 local Venezuelans who are looking to build independent solutions, perhaps those locals along with us (you, @immarojas, myself and whoever else is interested) could start brainstorming together about how to do the most good through steemit.
This is a good idea though, so try it out. I'm just confused about whether you want the posts to come from Venezuelans or from people who are outside of Venezuela observing the situation as well?
Something has to be done, however small it is. It is so damn difficult to think of something that really makes a chance. We are far away we can't put food in a box and simply hand it over. So we must find things we actually CAN do. We at least CAN collect upvotes and put them in one wallet. And meanwhile keep thinking how to hand over the wallet to someone who can make sure that it is spend wisely.
This is a LONG way to go, and we may need to hold on to the money a long time until we find that way. And finally make that difference.
I don't have a ready plan, and guaranteed solution, this is merely a start that looks feasible to collect funds with a tool we can use by the name of Steemit. And the other tool, our keyboard.
So by observing the news, and observing other signals we can form opinions. Then share those opinions and generate funds out of it. Etc.
You opened the room on discord and that 's a big thing. To establish communication and give people a soundboard is that start to make a change. I'm also FAR away from Venezuela, yet i'm VERY pissed at our so called leaders. Pushing us into a crisis, then filling their own pockets, while people go hungry and die.
To be honest, i'm also no big fan of charity. But lets face it Steemit is the tool we have so why not give it a try, it can't hurt to have a little pot of money to spend on something good once the opportunity presents itself. First lets see it as a savings account. Then carefully think of ways how to really make use of it.
Lets try to turn pocket change into big ass change. :-) Even if we fail, we at least tried and learned something. But let's do our best NOT to fail.
With Venezuelan Observatory the main idea is to let people outside of Venezuela Observe the news and draw conclusions. Or for what it is worth simply write a story about Venezuela. Like a memory when visiting Venezuela, the attitude of the people they met. Make us familiar with Venezuelan life, how they experienced it. Just write a story, and whatever the story generates in upvotes. Donate that, nothing more nothing less, into a fund. make it grow into a certain value and then find a way to deploy it.
For people IN Venezuela, the Observatory can also be used but maybe it need's a bit more caution. As not be to political, unless they really want. Who am i to decide... The situation is BAD. And all we can do is lend an ear and upvote. And down vote if people try to abuse the Observatory. We have enough greed on this platform to keep in the back of our mind. We need to try to make this platform work in a humane manner and move away from greed.
Ooooh big words... Let's try not to think too big for now, a small sum to start with, then try to get it in a good place. We must be able to do this, right?
Then look at the side effects. And re think the plan. Or if it just works, then simply scale it up a little.. :-)
Thanks @whatamidoing and @immarojas for the inspiration. Looking forward to see more feedback!
This is just plain awesome and I am very humbled and thankful for your thoughts. I know this is a struggling and really hard scenario for us venezuelans. But as you both have already mentioned, I support the motion that this is not an easy just to donate money thing. We need to as a community, or as leaders start making the right ammount of impact first, so we can actually set help in motion.
I feel the same way about charities than you guys. It's difficult to explain in words, but when you give a couple of bucks or medicines to a sick person, it doesn't mean that you're going to help cure him/her. But there is also the politics/government issue, where they are definitely stealing our country funds and resources to manage as they will. That also happens with charities, and even if they not admit it, they're playing a similiar role while managing funds to help only where they can and think money should go. This has always been a problem for me, because I have never gotten any help in our outside this country. Well, not until I joined steemit, three months ago.
I can write all of this in one post, but I'm going to need help. This is not my first language, and I have already started to make posts about my plans, method and what I think could be a great start and more than that, an example for people to follow, if we want to really make a difference through this crisis.
I've been growing plants for almost ten years now, and I mention this because after I joined steemit, I had to change the way I've been working for two reasons. First one being the economics and second the community's support. What I do is to donate plants instead of selling them to garden shops, because water supply has become a real problem for years, caused people to stop planting, caring about the environment and that has brought several health problems, especially when it comes to babies and kids. I try to go to schools, colleges, malls and try to donate and offer my help, without getting any because people don't really want to do that.
This is why I am planning to go big now. My entire region is having a huge drought, where we have had only two rain seasons in the last 5 6 years. Food is brought from a mountain region, but now people cannot afford it and the conditions are getting worst every day. This is a really hard thing to witness, I will try to document everything into video and photos, at the risk of my own security.
What I aim to do now is to work along men and women that I know have been without a job for a long time. I keep seeing engineers, overall profesionals who cannot even afford to work because transportation prices are too high and the workplace doesn't pay even 1 steem as a minimum wage. I on the other way have been producing a lot and working in steemit and have earned dozens times more than a regular job here. And that is why I decided to start helping people that want to work with me. Not for me, let me point that out very clearly. I have the experience and knowledge to produce tons of food, and to distribute it fairly among the communities nearby. And soon I will continue to do so in a nationwide level. I just need to continue to grow and I will reach more people as I follow my path, I know that I will pay a lot of people and they will earn a lot more working and telling their story and how they found steemit to make a difference into how we do and run things. @creativetruth has helped me a lot and maybe he could share his vision and thoughts on this subject matter with us too.
I'm not trying to sell this as a steemit giveaway, suscription promo or anything like that. I just want to help people to earn money fairly, while we grow the food that we're gonna be eating over the next years to come, not to mention the ammount of good we will be providing to the environment, while cooling temperatures and showing a greater water management. There are ways to use a lot of not drinking water that is being wasted atm to produce from shade, temperature dropping, oxygen to rains. And I learned that the best way to inspire people here, is to pay them. It sounds awful, but it's the truth. No one here is going to help me grow tons of food if I don't pay them. That's where the charity must stop. And I will make sure that every one earns his/her fair share as long as they contribute even on small things. I have learnt the hard way how one should lead, and how to never become a dictator. I know that I will make change happen, not only in my region, but the entire country, and worlwide too. I am a nature's worker and my plan is to teach how we will survive climate change and evolve from this situation in a nutritional and healthier way.