Losing the trust of a community

I don't know about you but since I have joined Steem I have lost something; trust. It is not that I was an overly trusting person before, since for most of my professional career I have dealt with all kinds of human behaviours and a lot of it negative but, benefit of the doubt was still my underlying process. These days, there is more doubt than benefit though.

The amount of things that I have seen go on here in the last year is likely the same volume most normal people experience in a lifetime yet, it is just another day at Steem really. Of course, it isn't Steem, it is the current set of human behaviours but Steem being what it is, it is easy to see what kinds of things go on. Some of the stuff that I have been privy to off-chain is pretty incredible too.

It is interesting though because blockchain technology is all about trust but many of the users of it I wouldn't trust as far as I can kick them, as the saying goes. I don't think that they are necessarily evil but with the ability to mask the connection to a real person, the inclusion of potential income and a high amount of complexity and subsequent loopholes; the tendency for people to do what they wouldn't normally do in real life is high.

Ther is so much conversation around the technology and code to incentivize or discourage certain behaviours but when it comes down to it, humans will be humans and even though the way we behave isn't set in stone, for most people, the default habits are what plays out as action. A better world is easy to imagine but unfortunately, it takes better people to make it a reality and better people means people willing to invest in themselves and live an examined life.

For most though, the energy to spend on examination and self-reflection seems either too much effort or a luxury. The problem for each position is the same though as each holds a scarcity mindset. People think that it is a cost of personal resources they could better invest into gaining in another area as they chase their desires or escape from the debt collectors. Under examination, solutions are likely to present themselves that will stop the need for running altogether. This is especially true if enough people are investing in themselves.

The more people that actually do this, the more will come to certain understandings that will likely reduce the amount they think they need to live and empower their ability to create more than they do currently. Scarcity isn't a problem in this world, distribution is and, those willing and able to create is a fast growing issue as most are becoming consumers of all things.

Consumers are destined to chase the latest and greatest as they will define themselves by what they possess. This leads inevitably to imbalance as competition on such material gains will continually ramp up until there are the haves and the have nots. The haves will look down and say work harder and you can have what I have too and the have nots will look up and say I want that. It is a continual process of FOMO as, there is always someone above with a little bit more.

you see it here as people try to maximize their gains by any means possible even if it comes at the cost of others. Just check Trending and you will see a system of competition and drive that will continually ramp up until the system eats itself. It is inevitable on the current tract. It is unsustainable and unless people work it out, it will end sooner rather than later.

It takes people though, not code. No amount of SMTs and Oracles will solve the problems, they will just stretch the time frame. At the end of the day, it is going to come down to a community made up of individuals and the choices they make.

Will they want a better world or, just a better life for themselves? I will give the benefit of the doubt and say that I am hopeful but, I am not very trusting when it comes to hope. Too many times it has failed me so I tend to rely on what is already done and the potential for what can be done next.

Taraz
[ a Steem original ]