Steemians Need To Lead The Way Out Of Greed, Gluttony, And Piggish Behavior!!!!
We are entering the Age of Abundance. This is being proven by many different disciplines. All over the world, there are shifts taking place throughout society which are going to have profound impacts. Some are technological, others energetic. Blockchain and cryptocurrency are a couple of things at the center of this move.
The challenge we are facing is that even though we are moving towards an abundant age, we still still operate completely on the scarcity principle. I am not sure what the reason is but humanity lacks the ability to say enough. "More" tends to be our default mindset.
There are a lot of wonderful things that are starting to emerge. Because of advancements in technology, many things are becoming abundant. One of the areas I believe we will see a radical improvement is in energy. We are rapidly moving towards a day when energy, for the world, is either free or minimal cost. Over the past few years, the price of renewable energy dropped significantly in spite of battery prices still reasonable high. Over the decade, battery research should put that trend in alignment with what we witnessed in solar and wind.
This will drop the price of energy to near zero levels.
The problem with this is that mankind lacks the ability to exert control. Notice the advancements society made in the area of food production. In the Western world, food is relatively inexpensive and plentiful. And what happened? It made us fat and sick. We eat entirely too much stuff that is unhealthy for us.
Countries that are leading the charge into the "renewable" age consume more energy than is required for the level of production. In other words, there is little reason to conserve when not paying for it.
Is this what we are in for when we have free energy?
Of course, the question comes up why do we care? Renewable energy is plentiful and cannot be exhausted. We cannot use all the sun produces anyway.
That is true. However, one thing we should all know by now is that there are always unintended consequences from our actions. Therefore, while I cannot give you a reason why we should converve when energy is free, I also cannot give you are reason why we shouldn't. The truth is I (and everyone else) have no idea what fallout could result.
Don't get me wrong. Free energy will be of extreme benefit to humanity. We simply need to be mindful of the consequences that can come in other areas.
Overall, advanced societies tend to be gluttonous. When you look at the consumption on this planet, especially in the Western cultures, it is very disheartening. People feel entitled to have whatever they want regardless of the cost (and I am not talking in financial terms). In our quest for more, we have destroyed many aspects of this planet. As long as we are comfortable, we are not concerned about any of the costs beyond our checkbook.
At the same time, we are programmed to get "more". This is a problem of epidemic proportions. Enough is never enough. We see this among all classes of people. Only the poorest among us cannot engage in this disease. As long as one has money or credit, it is on. People do not care what something costs as long has one can have it. Throw it on the credit card and worry about it later. Budgets are not something people live within because they are restrictive.
Advertisers know this and they push our buttons. They know how to prey on our insecurities and fears. Feel bad about yourself, go shopping; buy our product to feel better. You deserve it. On and on it goes.
Sadly, we see this same mindset on here. Many are still engaging in that behavior. The fear that resides within us of not being enough means we have to get more. Gratitude is a powerful weapon in our lives yet few choose to apply it. Instead, we fall into the conditioning of looking at what our neighbor has with envy. If that person gets a new car, we want one too. Our relationships turn into a series of competitions where we try to one up each other. Whatever anyone else has we need to top that.
Steemians are a fortunate lot in that we are starting to pave the way for others who are going to follow. We are on one of the most powerful blockchains in existence with more activity than anywhere else. Through our interaction on here, we are starting to see what is going to happen in a world of anarchy; one without an established order. It is through this that we get to work our improving ourselves so as to lift all around us.
Every single improvement helps the entire ecosystem. A line of code in one application that moves it forward does the same for the entire ecosystem. The success of one application makes everything on here more valuable.
The same is true for individuals. When we help one person move the account forward, every person that individual upvotes is helped out to a greater degree. One person being more compassionate can help 10 people who read that comment. There is no telling where the tentacles of our actions on here can reach.
Of course, the flip side is also true. When we are selfish, greedy, and full of anger, that has an effect also. Withholding votes causes harm to those who follow us. Being degrading or attacking others harms the entire ecosystem. It is amazing how not being diligent can cause harm. One action can negate 6 months of relationship building. Trust is a fragile thing and when one goes against that trust, it is hard to get it back.
It is an ironic concept but in the Age of Abundance, moderation is key. When everything is available at the touch of an app, it is easy to be gluttonous. This behavior is totally self destructive. We see many who, no matter what they have, they want more. Given the resources, either cash or credit, they will get it too. Ultimately, they keep engaging in this pattern until something gives. This is part of the cycle that addicts face. This cycle does not only pertain to drugs or alcohol. Most of society is caught up in it one way or another.
Once again, if Steemians are intent upon uplifting humanity through the freedom of blockchain, it is imperative that we begin by lifting ourselves. A lot is going to be handed to us simply because we are here now. Over the next 5 years, the world is going to realize what blockchain is all about and the power it wields. Throughout history, there is one lesson that keeps appearing....with power come responsibility.
Being greedy, gluttonous, and acting like a pig is childish behavior. And children tend not to be responsible.
The place to change the world is starting back at me in the mirror every morning.
Am I up to the challenge?
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A very great post and definitely one pointing out the truth about humanity. We all can´t get enough and always need more than others, I see myself as well guilty of it unfortunately but the higher you go the worse it gets. The top 1% might probably hold the most greedy people after all...
Anyways regarding steem it´s true that we have to think more altruistic as this will be the only way forward in the end. Whenever we all forget about the actual core values of steem and its vision then the platform will one day only be known for greed and die a slow death.
The Top 1% belongs probably to the top 1% because they are greedy. Otherwise they would have stopped accumulating their wealth.
Often the top 1% is not only greedy but also a cheap sheet. Look at the founder of Ikea or Warren Buffet.
First of all, I do want to show some gratitude from writing this excellent post! :)
I doubt it that we will enter a zero fee energy world. You are forgetting that lots of companies are investing into renewable energy. While these investments are good for the environment, they actually do this to make a buck of 2. Also we may not forget that creating batteries does harm the environment also. But it is way better than the oil mining!
People do see what others have and do feel that they should have the same. The never look how these people got what they got. Probably these people are working their buts off, the be capable of purchasing this luxury. These are the people who in lots of cases are happy with what the have. They sacrificed other things, to be capable of achieving this.
It is the same on Steemit. There are lots of inactive accounts. My idea are lots of those from people who thought that Steemit was a quick rich thing. They look at the dolphins or whales and think that it is easy. They forget easily, that their examples did invest into the system (time or money) and do feel that they are entitled to the same without doing anything.
I do try to teach my kids, that they should not sorrow about what they don't have, but that they should be grateful for the things they do have.
It all starts with education!
I particularly liked your last sentence....not to sorrow over what we don't have but to be grateful for what we do have...
You know Task, I've always felt that the U.S. had a car battery that would last 10 years, but the powers that be, don't want it available on the open market. I'm sure that there are others things that have been created but not released, for the good of our nation. We send food and clothing to other nations, but how much of that actually gets into the hands of the needy! Greed is everywhere, education might be the key but maybe the answer is spiritual. Great post Task. 😎
Car battery that would last 10 years but is not on the market...it's called "Planned Obsolescence"...there are documentaries on this subject...very interesting...take a look at some...you'll be disgusted at what they have done ( or rather failed to do ) in the name of Greed!
@lellabird60 thank you, I thought they had a 10 year battery out there that they wouldn't sell to the public. They wouldn't want to cut their own throats. These batteries now a days, only last 3 years. People think it's time to buy a new car, it's just a vicious circle, to get our hard earned money. 💸
I don't know what has gotten into you lately, but your posts have been amazing. You're addressing a lot of issues in our culture while pointing out how blockchain technology is giving us an opportunity to do better, to redeem ourselves.
This is our major problem. When people don't see the cost of what went into making a product, they don't care about it, so they use it up, throw it away, and get a new one. To people who have been raised in this type of culture, it's easy to follow in the footsteps of those who came before us.
I think if people saw what wen't into a product, they'd be more appreciative of what it is. If they saw what happened after the product was thrown away they might be too. This world is not here to be abused, and everyone plays a part. Even if the bad stuff is out of sight, we are still complicit in our purchase and abuse of the resources.
One thing that would be kind of cool imo is using the blockchain to show you what went into making a product. Similar to the tracking coins that are coming out, but you could just scan a product and see how we got the materials, what the warehouse conditions are like, etc, etc. We could test it out in Portland. (PS. probably way to difficult to) implement
Steemit is the best platform.
This is actually one of the best articles, I've read on steemit. It's pretty known for long time that western kind of consumer-life is not good for environment and for consumers. Mostly because of the corporations, which are always looking for new rare materials, always making unhealthy food and new land, lying in media, making harder for smaller businesses to grow... I see greed as a disease. And right medicine to fight against that disease, is knowledge and social consciousness. Resteem!
As I started reading this post down, I got to the point where you said energy was gonna be free and readuly available and I quickly disagreed with that but as I read a little further and you started giving reasons why you think it would be free and available in future, I had no choice but to agreed coz you really made valid point.
Like you said, our problem would be our inability to exert control . Just like the example you gave about the rise of obesity in the western world due to cheap and readily available food. We might also have same problem when energy becomes free and available to all.
In the nut shell, I think we should be bothered about changing our mentality towards abundance as that would be the only sustaining factor we would have when these goodies start coming our way.
@taskmaster4450 steem is best platform to showcase your talent and earn . Because no one gives you so beautiful platform to showcase your talents and earn without any investment.... Nice post being greddy never works ... We know greed is a thing which ruins a person's life everytime .... I liked reading it very much
Wonderful publication thanks very istructiva for sharing it, I love this quote "The place to change the world is coming back to me in the mirror every morning."
Addicted to SEEKING - What's Next!
Humans are all about "Next" especially in this day in age; especially on this platform as we hunt and peck for money as well as social interactions.
Social acceptance and monetary compensation for ideas. That is some heady shit.
In Affective Neuroscience, as laid out by Jaak Panksepp, there are seven base level human emotions. One of them is SEEKING. SEEKING is the system engaged in response to a primary emotive affect.
If the signal in = RAGE? You look for something to fight. FEAR? Look for a place to hide. CARE? Look for your momma, your dog, or your baby. LUST? The activation of the SEEKING system is euphoric in nature, especially when it pays off with some kind of "cookie". It feels good.
Scrolling Junkies
I believe that we 1st and 2nd world countries with high media and internet penetration have overactive seeking systems. That "dopamine hit" that FB defectors have brought to light is all about the SEEKING system. Jonesing for a fix is a hyperactive SEEKING system.
One thing that I really like about this place is that the value of an upvote does a good job of tamping down the SEEKING system and making it something more methodical and thoughtful. It's almost like a long term, or strategic social media engagemet vs short term tactical interaction.
I think it has a positive effect on reducing some of the more ugly expressions of internet based social addiction.
Crabs in a Bucket
This is the one that I'm not sure if we're capable of solving. The SEEKING itch and neuro-chemical of social interaction and making money is going to make some people lose their minds. That's just a fact.
I think the question becomes how to mitigate it. And how, culturally, we respond. Peer pressure is a powerful motivator. I'm personally afraid of the Crab's mentality taking over this place. I've seen some popular people argue from this perspective and many arguments that activate the Crab Mentality emotions in people.