Finding companionship on the lonely path....

At Steemfest3 in Krakow, Poland (*** one of the best expenditures of time and Airbnb dollars in recent memory ***), @captainbob and I were reflecting on a surprisingly common theme we encountered when meeting people from all over the world. In fact, I’ll say that I find it somewhat alarming how often we heard similar versions of the same story.... which sounded something like this, “I can’t believe how friendly people are here at Steemfest! I’ve never met so many like-minded people - who are concerned about community... and are so willing to help others! I don’t really know anyone like this at home...”

Well, this is both wonderful and regrettable. I’m quite thankful that such a community exists, and that so many are committed to preserving and expanding it. However, this tale is also a testament to an unfortunate reality - that so much of human behavior pushes us into a solitary and insular existence. I’m not referring to physical isolation, necessarily, but more of a... poverty of relationships... This is almost the loss of a birthright, as I assert that we are by nature, tribal interdependent and social. We seek acceptance and protection from the larger group, yet, we often find ourselves feeling as if we are standing alone - without a chair when the music has stopped.

Well, maybe this isn’t a voluntary human behavior... Perhaps it’s a societal property, which has revealed itself as we each crawl toward our individual “success”. We leave our daily cocoons and head out into the gray anonymity of our routine... as we commute to work, school, the store, the gym... wherever... Yet we seldom truly connect with others on a personal and significant level... and this has become the norm. Well, I simply defy this status quo. Each one of us - whether we have become numb to it or not - requires companionship, encouragement, and a sense of belonging.

HOW IRONIC IS IT that so many of us seem to be finding that which we crave by attending an event with people we’ve never met in person?!?! People at Steemfest3 are connecting with others whom they’ve met virtually - through blogs, photos, social posts, videos, chats, or other virtual meetups. What’s amazing is this: everyone also gives another similar report, which sounds like this, “You know, when I met him, he was JUST like I expected.... exactly like he is in his videos!” Don’t you see the great news? Just as a damned up river ultimately achieves an alternate path or release, we too have worked around the problem and remained true to our nature... When met with isolating circumstances, we have developed an unconventional solution... we’ve created COMMUNITY where there was nothing but oceans of distance, space and time zones... data, electrons and fiber optics! When we are finally able to sit together breathing the same air and sharing food and libations... we discover that we in fact already have the close friendships that we desire. This is because, whether we are 46XX, 46XY, or whatever... we humans are awesome after-all. (Even if we do say so ourselves!) AND we are capable of miraculous things when we commune, unite, and... PULL ON THE ROPE IN THE SAME DIRECTION!

Thank you to all the folks who gave me some time at this Steemfest, and enriched me measurably! (Hopefully, I didn’t forget anyone, and I spelled everyone’s name correctly this time!)

@captainbob @camuel @slayerkm @supertraff @buttcoins @kevinli @greencross @neopch @artakush @nathanmars @hashcash @jongolson @rmach @liliana.duarte @jayna @guchtere @arcange @anomadsoul @gillianpearce @chickencaam @bubke @reggaemuffin @suesa @crypto.talk @coruscate @joythewanderer @steemcafe @adetorrent @cryptogee