Yet Another Attempt At Perspective

I'll Admit. It Doesn't Feel Good Right Now

There's a lot going, and even those of us who are hanging on, weathering the summer storms, are finding it increasingly difficult to do so. We've discovered that earning STEEM for earning's sake is not what keeps us here. It's something else, be it the friendships we're developing, the coming together of like minds, the freedom that decentralization promises, or some other purpose and direction. We've been keeping on despite the headwinds and other meteorological difficulties.

Talking about the issues as we see them is healthy, and helps us to evaluate what we really should be concerned with, rather than wringing our hands and expending energy on worry and dismay. There are only so many things we have control over, too.

So, let's take a look at some of the more recent things out there, along with other things that have been weighing since the beginning, and then take a look at why we're here and then what we're going to do.

_{Image source—Pixabay}

Github

Microsoft is acquiring Github. Microsoft is doing all it can, along with the some tech media, to allay fears of what that means. The culture, according to some, has come a long way since Linux was the redheaded stepchild that former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer liked to kick around.

Regardless of the reason behind the $7.5 billion deal, Github as a repository for open source apps, coding, interaction, etc., can no longer be considered what it once was, whatever that really was. It will have a CEO, it will have structure, and to some degree, be it developer friendly or not, there will be expectations.

STEEM code sits on the github. Will it ultimately be affected? Who knows? While public image and opinion will weigh in, it will be Microsofts' decision to determine what things look like moving forward.

Terms of Service

Steemit's Terms of Service was recently updated, and quite a few users were not happy and voiced their opinion on the steemitblog update after the first attempt to deploy the new ToS went awry. The STEEM blockchain belongs to everyone and no one, but Steemit made it clear that access through their app has some strings, which includes, if asked, supplying information to all kinds of government entities, law enforcement, and who knows who else, when it comes right down to it.

_{Image source—Steemit}

Centralized Power Of STEEM

Much has been made of the initial distribution that concentrated enormous amounts of STEEM in the hands of a few. From there, users have been scrambling to make something from the reward pool, or finding other ways to get a hold of STEEM—bidbot ownership, leasing delegation, working for a curation trail, working to cleanup STEEM through steemcleaners, and in unsavory ways, including phishing and downright stealing.

STEEM price

The USD price of STEEM went down again, after hovering around $1.60 USD to under $1.40 USD. The consolation is, it's following a near universal trend across the cryptocurrency spectrum. Still, when you've bought in at around $3.50 or higher, and STEEM trades at $1.38 USD as of this writing, you're bound to be feeling the pain in your Steemit Wallet. I know my own is officially worth one-third less than the amount I have invested, which doesn't account for the STEEM I've earned since I've been here.

_{Image source—World Coin Index}

General Dismissal Or Doomsday

It seems like we always hover on two extremes of any issue: One, where all hair everywhere is on fire and the world's coming to an end, or variations of thereof, or two, where everything is okay, don't you worry, this is to be expected, no need to be freaking out, what's your problem, STEEM is the best thing since, well, fill-in-the-blank.

I don't know, but I naturally gravitate to the other side anytime one side or the other starts getting over optimistic or depressingly pessimistic. The truth generally lies somewhere in the middle in nearly all cases, because humans are famously good at over or underestimating situations, based on our own little world bubbles we create for ourselves.

The truth is, things could always be better, and it is also the truth that things could get worse. The question is, what are you going to do with the hand we're being dealt? Fold, hold, raise, or call?

The Dose Of Reality

Maybe a reminder of why we're here in the first place is order? Forget about the over exaggerated (if not flat out lying) videos you saw on YouTube promising you easy money for posting on Steemit. I'm talking about the larger promises, the world changing promises, of a decentralized, global economy that would eventually break down borders, solve economic disparity and provide free financial transactions devoid of middlemen. A place where thoughts can be shared without reprisal or fear of censorship. Sovereignty based on an individual, rather than on nations, states or principalities. A truly disruptive and revolutionary concept, the likes of which the world has never seen.

Know that in some places, Facebook and other internet sites are being told to censor certain speech. You may or may not agree with what is being cracked down on, but know this—the pendulum that is common opinion has a way of swinging back and forth between extremes. What might be acceptable now probably won't be in the future.

Free speech laws are supposed to protect against speaking out, but not all countries have them, and not all that do are willing to enforce them on all levels. That's the world we live in. That's the greater reason for the STEEM ecosystem.

So, Folks, What Are We Going To Do About It?

We can debate about the finer points of reward pool abuse, bidbot use or what we truly mean by great content, or we can look to the much bigger issues of coming together to bring about a global change. A change that, as early adopters and maintainers, has the potential of making us wealthy just because we're still trying to make STEEM work for us and for others.

Have we given up on that dream already, just two years in? Are we already looking for the next best thing? If it's not here, then where is it, and how will you know it when you see it? Asset distribution and code might affect a lot, but ultimately, it's how we behave on the STEEM blockchain that makes it or breaks it.

What's it going to be?