I understand what you are saying BUT when you attach you attach money to an effort you remove the love part quite quickly. The SP becomes an indelible part of your creation and always stands right besides it indelibly. Few people here are content in life with their monetary situation otherwise and most always look forward to better earnings on the platform. To be in love with an unproductive system will be foolish as there are other avenues that may fulfill the passion more productively.
That said every time you post something, there is an anticipation factor akin to watching the roulette wheel spin.
Some people see it as collecting STEEM over the next 5-10 years slowly and hope to make it big if the platform grows as big as FB etc.
so the reasons are sundry and varied. Take for example earning 5 dollars on a post in a country such as India or Ethiopia or Venezuela. Those 5 dollars get you somewhere for a day in the places.
Love for anything must be combined with an outcome that is productive for parties involved. I understand that being imparted with pleasant feelings is productive and may keep some folks here but you can also notice that retention rate is low as low productivity is against human nature.
Rebels like you are a rare species. Keep doing it for the love. I do it as well although if I was a betting man ( we all are), I would bet against continuing high output from you for low rewards. I would prefer to see you get back to your highs because you bring a unique perspective to the platform.