As the conditions change

One of the things I love about Steem is that there is very little that remains the same and even though there have prolonged periods of various conditions like the "bidbot situation" (sounds like a scene from Pulp Fiction) over the last 2+ years, the ecosystem can shift its base and move very fast. What I also love is that these changing conditions affect behaviors and because there is a greater level and sense of investment and control, many people take the changed conditions and shift their actions.

It isn't always easy to change after doing something for so long and it is even harder when one has fought loudly to do it as no one likes to go back on their position, even if there would be greater benefit in doing so. However, what always needs to be remembered is that what might have been fought for at one point in time could have made sense because of the conditions at that particular time. For example, those who chose to create and use bidbots over the last two years were somewhat justified because, that is what the conditions not only allowed, but encouraged as they offered the highest rate of maximization with close to zero risk for parties involved.

When it comes down to behavior, if there are no consequences to actions, there is no reason not to do something if it adds benefit. If eating the most delicious junk food, smoking, drinking, doing drugs, sitting doing nothing and whatever other various vices people might have held no ramifications or ill affects - many people will partake in them. If you could eat what you want, never get fat, and maintain peak physical condition - "healthy eating" is no longer a thing as eating no longer affects health no matter what is consumed.

But, we do live in a world of cause and effect and energy transference meaning that every movement costs something whether paid directly, via proxy or at some future point in time - and I am pretty sure that this is the way people would want things to be in a world that requires interaction with others in various levels of community. While some people want to "do what they want" they don't actually want everyone else to have the same freedom because most know that there are some very poor behaviors in this world.

Consequence of action is part of the conditions of life and it is these biproducts of what we do that create the next set of conditions to face and therefore, the conditions we will adjust to and act upon for the next set. When the conditions degrade, the actions will generally support further degradation and when they improve, actions will generally adjust accordingly. Degradation and improvement are in the minds of each individual though and what one considers a degradation that drives them to act in support, another will see as a condition that supports them to act in an improved way. Two people in near identical conditions can behave very differently.

If we were able to choose the ideal conditions for us, we would likely all have a different set of what that would be, but I predict that most people would not have a very good understanding of what conditions bring out the best in them as most have not reflected deeply upon it, nor have most experienced these conditions themselves.

On Steem I have often heard people talk about putting in effort to create a quality post is not worth it considering the value of the payouts and that is a fair perspective. However, I believe that if someone is going to do anything at all, then it should be done well and what is done should have the goal of changing the conditions for the next set of actions to build upon. Without getting butterfly effect here, even the smallest of actions have consequences that will impact on future conditions and if one isn't paying attention to conditions, they aren't really paying attention to whether the actions performed are suitable, meaning that while they might feel that they are doing the correct thing at the correct time, their alignment might be far offset.

The problem is that because one thinks that they are doing the right thing, the outcomes (consequences) of actions do not align with the expectations of the results, but due to the work performed, the feeling of entitlement is likely to set in. This sets up the conditions that a particular result is deserved because that is what was expected, obviously not a great position, especially if the expectation didn't consider if the action would result favorably when performed in the current conditions.

That was a bit of a mouthful, but if you imagine catching a ball in the air and then shooting it at the goals looking for a score, then getting upset because the referee blows the whistle for a penalty - while you are playing soccer and you are midfielder. What were you expecting the result to be under those conditions? Perhaps if you were playing basketball, the actions might have suited the conditions - but you weren't.

Sometimes I think Steem is kind of like the Chris Cornell lyrics from "You know my Name"

And if you think you've won
You never saw me change
The game that we have been playing

"Winning" at Steem is not really a possibility because while actions today might prove successful, the same thing tomorrow will have degraded results and the game is always changing. The further it goes and the greater the decentralization becomes, the more the ecosystem is going to change and if playing the day-to-day game, it is going to be very difficult to get consistent results.

Where I think the consistency and stability will come from is for those who instead of playing the short game, choose to play long as what it does is takes all the noise of peaks and troughs out of the daily and weekly mix and instead bring in the zoomed out curves of years. What I mean by this could be demonstrated with a couple charts.

The first chart is indicated in the slice of the second.

When looking long, the ups and downs are a great deal smoother and what that allows is "less sensitivity" to the volatility of the moment and instead the ability to work and adjust with the current conditions in order to direct actions toward building favorable conditions. Essentially, this means having the self-control to be proactive without having to be continually reactive to every fluctuation, unless required under calm and controlled investigation and reflection on conditions.

As I said at the start, one of the things I love about Steem is that it is in a constant state of flux and even when conditions are unfavorable, there are actions that can be taken to direct the flow toward better times. While I am far from useless in the real world, I find one of the most compelling parts of Steem is my ability to more finely control the resources I have available to me to change the conditions I live with so as to build an environment where I can be my best.

My best today might be this post, tomorrow this post might not be anywhere near my best as the conditions I will face tomorrow will change my capabilities and therefore my actions and behaviors. What I always find interesting is that people spend a great deal of time telling people what they need to be their best, but nowhere near as much time creating the conditions where they can be. As far as I have experienced in my life, the best we can be isn't to rely on others to change the world for us.

What brings out the best in you?

Arm yourself because no one else here will save you
The odds will betray you
And I will replace you
You can't deny the prize it may never fulfill you
It longs to kill you
Are you willing to die?
_Chris Cornell

Taraz
[ a Steem original ]