Steem Torch - a growing circle of trust?
There are times I wear my heart on my sleeve and I have confessed, more than once, and most recently, here, that I am an idealist. I also tend to believe that all glasses are half full (preferably of good wine). Naively, I also tend to think that nobody says nasty things about, or to, another - just because s/he has a different perspective. The level of nastiness and bullying that happens in this world still shocks me.
So when I first saw a post about the Steem Torch - and for the life of me, I can’t remember where - I liked the concept and have been following its journey ever since. It’s passed through the hands of some Steemians in my immediate network, #powerhousecreatives, two of whom spring immediately to mind, @zord189 and @thereikiforest, and now @dswigle, also a member, has passed it on to me. She felt it needed to come to South Africa. I am honoured to be included in this circle of trust.
A little about Steem Torch, an initiative by @geekgirl
Steem Torch is an experiment to demonstrate the speed and trust in transferring value on Steem social network.
Well, this post means that the torch has slowed a little, but to give you an idea:
The original post went out on around the 8th of March, 36 days ago. In those 36 days, the torch has been handed to 63 different Steemians. Along with STEEM. Now in the amount of 442. The rules are that the torch must be passed on and the new bearer is advised of the responsibility by transferring the same, or more STEEM into his/her wallet. And so the cycle repeats.
Call me fey (as well as an idealist and nuts), but it’s to me, significant that I am the 63rd recipient, and it’s 36 days since that original post. Those are significant numbers in my life: 63 was the year I was born and for some reason that combination of numbers crops up time and time again.
But I digress:
The goal is to reach 10k - unique Steemians who pass the torch and its value on. The ten thousandth Torch Bearer
can choose to stop the experiment. Funds can be donated to Steem based charities, distributed to minnows, or burnt. Torch keeper must not keep the funds. Alternatively, the Torch Keeper may choose to continue the experiment and pass it on to another following the rules 1-4. In this case, the next milestone will be 20000. When 20000 is reached, Torch keeper again gets to decide to stop the experiment following the rule 5 or continue the experiment. Every 10000th transaction new milestone is reached.
Why this post?
As an addition to the initiative, GeekGirl has incorporated a suggestion from @andrarchy, of an optional companion post outlining why one is happy to participate and the reason for the selected new torch bearer. A post, of course, makes the experiment that much more overt than when it’s buried in a series of wallet memos.
Follow the Steem Torch journey across the blockchain
Also, thanks to @markymark, one can follow the @steemtorch account and follow the passage of the Steem Torch as it journeys across the Steemverse.
A long way home
Going back to the numbers, we clearly have a long way to go: the torch has been passed on, on average twice a day, so we have a long way to go reach the magic 10k. Although I feel the sense of urgency, I also felt the need to explain why I am delighted to participate in this experiment. More to the point, I want to explain why @bluemist has been selected as the next torch bearer. He a willing recipient of the torch (yes, he knows it’s coming and, I hope, is preparing an appropriate reception - in his blue suede shoes….)
He (I think, and I’d rather not say “it”), too, is not just a member of the #powerhousecreatives (formerly @steemitboggers), and a Steemit philanthropist. He is the owner of @appreciator and works hard to support minnows, smaller accounts and communities, including the one I’ve just mentioned. When the @theycallmedan ran his first dPoll and the PHC community lost, he made a substantial delegation to the account which, along with the subsequent delegation is being used to support plankton and redfish, helping them to benefit from adding content to the @steemit blockchain that is valued.
I look forward to watching @steemtorch continue its journey of trust around @steemit and on the blockchain.
This is also my day 16 contribution to @traciyork's #SteemBloPoMo challenge - read about the half-way mark here
Until next time
Fiona
The Sandbag House
McGregor, South Africa
Photo: Selma
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Congrats on receiving the torch and passing it onwards to a worthy member of the Steem community! It does show that we do have a core of trust and decency here, despite some of the less savoury parts of our blockchain....
Thank you @bengy. I saw your comments on the various posts. You were on my list of potential bearers. I suspect that at some point it will pass through your hands.
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Thank You for the kind words @fionasfavourites, appreciate it.
You are more than welcome. And thanks for all you do for Steemit and PHC.
@bluemist & @fionasfavourites,
There is an interesting phenomenon that one observes on Steemit if one is inclined to be observant: Even in the midst of an environment where the restraints on human behavior have been all but eliminated, practically begging malfeasance, many possess an almost visceral desire to elevate their conduct ... to be Virtuous.
In this particular circumstance, it is difficult to imagine how any of the participants could possibly anticipate a payoff for their contributions. It is, seemingly, an intitiative motivated by little more than the desire to "live in a better world" ... by living in the world, better.
Pragmatically, this is self-evidently idealistic and naive. And yet, one might remind oneself about the history of ideas, ideals and insights ... once elevated. We are symbolic creatures. I once wrote about the Meaning of Life, a subject that has obsessed the philosophically inclined throughout the Ages. There is, of course, no provable answer, but here's mine:
"The Meaning of Life ... is to live life, meaningfully."
It's a poet's response that, technically, means nothing. And yet, something about its vagueness feels vaguely familiar. The shadows just beyond the campfire's light exist, in spite of our inability to see what's casting them. Similarly, an idea is not merely a dream because it defies the ability to be articulated precisely.
Great initiative.
And Blue, I second Fiona's sentiments ... thanks for all you do for PHC.
Quill
Yay!! It is moving right along, isn't it? My hope is that after it has circled the globe with the trust factor intact, something good will come of it.
And I never thought of doing a post for it and giving it more visibility! Great idea and I love that you did it!
!tip
Thank you for entrusting @steemtorch to me, and for the tip @dswigle. There's of course, no reason why you can't do a post - even after the fact. #justsaying ;)
It has been two days, which is more than passe...but, I did love yours!!! The tip is my pleasure!
It's the small things in life
Wow, that's a lot of trust...
It is. And as that amount of Steem gets bigger....even more so.
🎁 Hi @fionasfavourites! You have received 0.1 SBD tip from @dswigle!
@dswigle wrote lately about: Being Loved Feel free to follow @dswigle if you like it :)
Sending tips with @tipU - how to guide :)
Nice to hear of a Steem torch after the Lightning torch. Well done for being a torch-bearer.
Thank you!
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What a cool idea. I hope it continues perpetually to circle the steemverse.
#powerhousecreatives
Well, looks like you were picked as a trustworthy, awesome torch bearer earlier this year. No surprises really! Hopefully we'll get to that magic 1337 now (think it changed from when you first wrote this from 10k to 1,337)
And things changed after the HF. It's been a while since anyone wrote a post. I follow the steem torch account. Glad you did.