I am now a HERO.

Whoa, just checked the distribution of accounts on steemit and it seems that I am now a HERO account. WOW!

I am no damn HERO and make no pretense to be.

Still, this is what having over 10m vests is called and I'm privileged and amazed to be just one of the 516 hero accounts. It's amazing to be in a position to be such an important part of the growth of this experiment.

It makes me think about what this means besides having a more powerful upvote.

The first thing it for me is that, now, my curation will matter more. And in that, I find that I have a duty to put some time in and curate.
Looking for good posts and giving them a little bump might make a difference in two ways.

Firstly, more people will notice that one "new" post has a few cents and will peak their curiosity to check it out. If they do and like it, they'll bump it too. I know how it feels when your upvote doesn't move the reward but in the [near] future the power of the little votes will matter a great deal.
There's great power in numbers.

Secondly, upvotes are like compliments.

You're doing a great job!
I LIKE IT!
You rock!

That's what every real upvote screams at us. Don't you love a honest compliment? I know I do. So, when someone upvotes you it might provide exactly the small motivation to keep you going. That has almost nothing to do with how much SP you have. A compliment is a compliment.
The difference is that when you get a compliment from someone who already is higher on the succes ladder than yourself, you tend to value it more. Maybe because you think that person already been there and they know what they're talking about. Who knows?
From my experience, I'm insanely happy when people upvote and comment and humbled when someone with a high SP takes the time to do that. It's not about their value as people but I think their expertise is important.

I hope my upvotes will be seen as a vote of confidence for new content creators.

What else?

I think that I should be a promoter of Steemit.
I already am to be honest. I try to bring people to try it especially when I know they have a lot to say and show. I'd love for them to get rewarded for that just as I have been. I also think they could find here enough motivation for their "one day I will.." kind of projects.

I also think that there's a responsability in expressing your concerns about certain features or behaviors. At least from my point of view. I am scared of a steemit without criticism and I am yet to see a trending critical article [ I think ] but those are necessary.
I am against vitriol, swearing, trolling, hate, ad hominem and any kind of degrading.
When we degrade a person, we degrade ourselves even more.

Yet, staying critical and always looking for improvements is GREAT and part of a healthy community.
Writing without fear of repercussions is a great ideal.
Opening a discussion is a great ideal.
Admitting you are wrong and learning from it instead of lashing out is great ideal.

I will keep thinking about what a HERO can be, should be and do. There are no rules but I like to think the names weren't chosen at random but are an invitation for each of us to RISE up the challenge of being the HERO you always wanted to be but didn't know how.

Good luck to you.
Good luck to me.

R.