I have been noticing something and I would like to bring it to your attention.
It seems that strife, abusive stuff, and bad actors, including scammer-types on this platform get more views and attention than those who are participating in the Gift Economy.
Why do you think this is happening?
Did you know that there is an account called @anonymous.donor who just rewarded @alexandravart with an additional 500 STEEM after discovering that I had given her 250 STEEM? This is the Gift Economy in action, but I bet you had no idea this happened. This type of thing isn't what captures human's attention. We are wired to pay attention to threats, and stories that get our adrenalin going.
I bet you never saw this article that described this action: https://steemit.com/steemit/@paulag/steemit-good-news-story-the-act-of-giving-is-alive-and-well-on-steemit
It is very curious that whales who operate vote selling "businesses" continue to get a lot of attention, those engaged in various wars, cheating, etc., while those of us (myself and @fulltimegeek) who are delegating our SP voluntarily (and with no monetary ROI), are not getting the same attention.
This is very curious isn't it?
If you were following me, you would realize that I also drop gifts on people, when I feel the urge. You would think that this kind of activity would necessarily go up in popularity, with the view counts.
It's not the case.
It is my guess that the world is not ready for the Gift Economy because most people are not in the proper frame of mind. Most of the whales on this platform have no knowledge of how the Gift Economy operates, and hence, do not see its value. The Gift Economy was the dominant form of society in tribes, before the corporations took over. It is worth taking a deep dive into it to understand how it operates, and also, how people emerge as leaders.
Leaders of Gift Economies were picked because of a mixture of characteristics: intelligence, spiritual qualities (like artistic visions, social skills, philosophical attributes) but the most important reason they were chosen was this: whoever was the most successful in sharing wealth with their tribe became a leader. So, people would not admire those who hoarded wealth. The ones who hoarded their wealth were not chosen as leaders. The people who had the most to share with the tribe were chosen, in addition to spiritual qualities. So, in a Gift Economy, if you have no social skills, no spiritual qualities, you will never be chosen to be a leader.
This is clearly not happening in Planet Steem and the larger society. Modern society, actually doesn't even value spiritual qualities when deciding who to emulate. The only thing that matters is wealth hoarding. Wealth hoarders are the ones that modern society has decided are important. And I see the same thing happening in Planet Steem today. Steem is following this dominant, and flawed model mainly because most of the whales are embodying this philosophy. They too, believe that being a wealth hoarder is the way to go. This is evidenced by the vote selling activities which do nothing to improve the platform, but only serve to enrich the whales even more.
Also, another thing: @fulltimegeek, @ned and myself are the only ones who are voluntarily gifting our SP to others AFAIK. If this was something that was highly valued as a practice, and @paulag's statistics show us that it was indeed a positive effect on Planet Steem, (with regard to human values), it would have been adopted by the majority of whales. This did not happen.
If you look at what kind of effect our SP delegating has vs. the effect of people vote buying, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to realize which method is superior, with the end result being: HUMAN HAPPINESS. Our method is clearly the winner. See the stats for yourself here: https://steemit.com/utopian-io/@paulag/analyzing-delegation-generously-given-by-stellabelle
As we all know by now, money is an emotional abstraction. Unhappy people don't buy Steem coins. Happy people do. I know how to build value, as i understand the basic mechanisms of human happiness. A lot of these so-called whales who are trying to decode how to make Steem valuable, by trying to enforce their narrow understanding onto this platform are flawed by their lack of understanding of human happiness.
Human happiness is the goal, and it is also the reason people stick around. It really is this simple.
From now on, I will be using GIFs that contain images of gratuitous violence in order to speak about the Gift Economy in action. OK?
Carry On,
Stella
In a nutshell, I am talking about this:
"Native cultures are based on the philosophy that humans are the stewards of the natural world, and not consumers of the world’s resources. Unlike European American values, "wealth" in Native American culture is not measured by net worth, but rather by a combination of spiritual qualities, material goods, and behavior. Leaders are selected for their ability to take care of the tribe by sharing their wisdom and wealth (Millett and Orosz 2002)."
I think people might confuse what I am saying here. I am not saying we should be poor, and that we cannot be wealthy. What I am saying is that rich people, and rich whales on Steemit, will in fact increase the value of their investment if they operate with the abundance mindset, instead of nickel and diming that is currently dominant. Delegating SP freely is a way to drive up the value of Steem, at the same time as making people happier. We can have wealth, with our abundance mindset, and not hoard it. I don't even mean you have to give out donations at all, I am only speaking about SP here. You can hold onto your numbers, but delegate freely SP, and grow the value of Steem more.
further reading: https://www.learningtogive.org/resources/native-american-culture-giving
Every chance I get @stellabelle, I shine the spotlight on yourself, @fulltimegeek, @wwf, and @steevc, all whom delegated without renting. To me, that is the epitome of this site and what is taking place.
In response to your basic question, it is a result of conditioning. The bankster run world is hierarchical, built on scarcity, and used to elevate a few while depressing the masses. People enter the world of steem (planet steem) as you call it with the same mindset.
Fortunately, the newer model is starting to take hold. My next article is going to focus upon the competition versus cooperation mindsets....obviously steem is the cooperation.
Sadly, the first 6 stories on any news cast is negative and about bad things that happened. You might get to a positive uplifting story in the second half of the telecast (no wonder fewer people are watching the news). This is what we are up against.
People need to commit to steem as if it is their own and look at the long term picture. My goal for 2018 is to make all those who view my articles very rich...the only way I can do that is by upvoting them as much as I can and supporting them completely.
Thank you for spelling all this out for us.
Nice to see at least some people writing on steemit are critical of our culture. Not to highjack this tread but to maybe be of help, I wrote an article a few months ago for our own blog about exactly the same thing, cooperation vs competition and why we cannot seem to make that switch happen. It's titled 'What the heck is wrong with us' and you can find it here: https://permaculturesj.wordpress.com/articles/what-the-heck-is-wrong-with-us/
Exactly- it is a paradigm completely built on scarcity and zero sum realities where a few win and the rest lose. Foremost I can’t imagine a fun life isolated at the top hoarding. And when I see people who have More delegating And sharing to me that is in line with the core values and essence of the steemit platform. There is so much potential here for so many to become wealthy, there’s no need to play zero sum games. Because honestly we’re all lifting each other up!! I’m incredibly encouraged and hopeful by yalls actions! THANKS!! <3
well said I've been upvoting comments but I lost my audience a while back, still what you have said is worth carrying over through the new year :) post worthy even :)
I'm already delegating a little bit to MSP, but I know that I could be doing so much more. Thinking about delegating SP to accounts and causes I support last night actually was what motivated me to really want to grow my account so I have the resources to do so. It felt like I finally saw the Matrix.
For me, the main reason I wanted to become a whale, is so that I could give. I saw a rare opportunity. It feels like the wrong people usually end up wealthy....
That makes a lot of sense. What did you do to become a whale?
She "stellabelled" her way to the top. The best way to do so and one that's worth emulating.
This here is the reason why our world is filled with so much incompetent people on top of the pyramid. I can totally rely with your point of view, as I know it all too well. Even so, myself included am still urged to this profit-driven market we're living in. The rich keep getting richer, the poor keep getting poorer... Bricks are falling down as we speak tough, as they do every so few centuries. The beauty of it is that this time we have such great technology to our availability, that we can make a real change. And I believe the Blockchain (with things like DPOS) to be the real key in making a real utopia on earth!
The main issue is because once people gain wealth, they don't want to lose it. This is the prime reason things are the way they are. But in here, whales have a rare opportunity: they don't have to give away their Steem.........they can delegate it freely. This is so much an obvious solution, I am still very shocked to see such a small number of people doing this. And not only that, you get to decide who to give it to. It's like you get to have your own company of people......
The main issue (imo) is that people can't have enough money. If there was some incentive like a small return on curation rewards while delegating, it might become more of a thing to do. Besides, making money ain't a bad thing, there just needs to be more of a balance in doing so. Especially once it comes to negatively impact others.
It is funny. When our stomach is full, we decline to eat more and are happy to share...but is if ever possible for a bank account to be “full”???
It’s like a square of different people with different personalities . Every corner consist of different kind of people but the problem is you have to get around the whole square to get back to where you where .
People love bad news its more engaging and stirs up stronger feelings then something that is happy go lucky. Human nature is seriously dark.
I've spent a lot of time thinking about this and I think it's connected to our survival instincts. We have limited attention in the day. Whatever poses the greatest threat is what we pay attention to. It is a leftover from cave days. So, really, our own brain chemistry is the problem, and something to become aware of. I have noticed this in my own behaviors as well.
Hello Stella.
I enjoyed reading your article very much and I can connect with many of your ideas. People could really start taking one other more. I think there is alot of fear being created in the media, that hinders this to some extent. The Planet could need more people with this certain "happiness of all" point of view on the world. Keep up the good work ! <3
Warm Greetings,
@googlefrueh
Hey, hang in there. It is a TOTAL paradigm shift, and those who lead the charge may not live to see the final outcome of the battle... But here, I just did my FIRST give away. I did not announce it, I just went through all my posts for the past week and did this. You were not among them, but I LOVE the "abundance paradigm" you are promoting so I am adding you to the list of recipients. It is not squat monetarily, but as someone who has been blessed by the people of steemit, consider my way of showing that we are learning... we are learning...
My birthday and the New Year are coming up, and it seemed like a great time to thank my most engaged followers. I went through my last week of posts and made note of all my followers who actually commented, and I am leaving you all a tip! as my way of saying "Thank you!" and as my birthday gifting!
Honestly stella, even though it might be true that negative actions get more attention than positive ones, do not think for a second that what you and fulltimegeek have done has gone unnoticed. I for one have tried to emulate in my own small way his and your actions and delegated some of my steem myself... As i grow a little more I intend to help other plankton and minnows...
So it may not make the cover of the news publication, but it's impact is probably more powerful than it seems.
In any case, for what it's worth... thank you for being you.
Happy new years.
Ok, this is good to hear! Thanks for letting me know.
This is awesome stuff. Whales can earn a lot if they contribute to this platform instead of just delegating their SP to bots.@cryptoctopus actually wrote a post today What Would You Do With 300,000 SteemPower? and I gave an idea there. I know most of the people will say it lame but no worries, let me copy paste it here as well
Very cool!
interesting, thanks for that.
Like Napoleon Hill would say, carefully made plans attract more wealth.
Greed outweighs giving nature at most turns. You are a shining example of doing it right. These nickle and dimers are too short sighted to recognize the effect being generous would have on the value of their Steem.
And it isn't just about giving out randomly, it is finding the people of value who not only deserve to be gifted but can make the most use of it. Gifting to the struggling artist rather than the corporate middle classer is very important as well. You and annonymous.donor made a huge impact on a Steemian's life!Alexandra, I am sure, will use that Steem for her living, which is awesome. Gifting to someone who doesn't have a need (me, the corporate middle classer) would not have near the impact.
Recognize the value of the gifting economy, make yourself a gifter, and find the right people to gift too. It'll change the world. Maybe it's slow progress, but it will happen
I think you and @fulltimegeek should be celebrated. You guys are true leaders, We have benefited from this delegations.
Other whale should also follow suit as human happiness is optimum.
Love it @stellabelle. I agree wholeheartedly.
Upvoted and resteemed.
Hi @stellabelle! You have received 0.1 SBD tip + 0.02 SBD @tipU
from @fishyculture :)
Check out new tipuvote! feature :)
I don't think that everyone values greed in modern society. In fact, there's almost like a philosophical war going on. Giving is still highly valued, even if there's a portion that idolizes those that rise to the top. We even seem to value those of wealth that give a bit away more than those with less that give a lot more of what they have.
I'm not sure that the modern form of giving is good though. You just give money to some group that hopefully does good with your money. I think more need to get their hands dirty. Not necessarily literally. It would be a lot better if more rich people set up sustainable charities that didn't work on just getting more and more donations, but could survive with none if necessary.
hahah thanks for the resteem and the mildly offensive post :D tell me if it works, I'm not sure that putting disgusting images on cigars gets us more smokers, but who knows, maybe paulag can do a data analysis, to me it sounds like it disempowers people because it claims they are weak, for here yeah planet Steem is the planet of the apes :D there is a lot of corruption from the monetary incentives and people's failed mentalities, but on the offside there are always awesome happy people actually contributing something to society and humanity through this platform, still they were doing it before so this is just a boost for most of them :)
I'm not a fan of Gif's gifts I can accept :D there was a time where I turned off images because of how much noise they gave out...
anyways as I said thanks for the resteem :)
https://busy.org/gifteconomy/@reko/steem-gift-circle-6-or-promoting-gift-economy-on-the-steem-blockchain-rewards-to-all-new-members
Go join the cord :)
Cheers stella, also thanks for the slothicorn I just learned of it yesterday as well :)
Cool. Anyone reading this post should follow her. Not just for the 'Gift Economy' but because she is a great example to plankton and red fish in how to post, curate and behave.
ha ha thanks.
Life is not fair especially in the meritocratic world of Steemit. Get used to it!
I never said anything was fair and I am not advocating for fairness. You obviously have no knowledge of the Gift Economy and how it works. @alexandravart got 250 STEEM from me because her art has value to me. I didn't give anyone else that.
Holy crap.
How did anyone get the idea of "fairness" out of what you wrote?
There is absolutely nothing in there that conveyed fairness, leveling of the playing field, or anything else of that nature.
Calling on others to embrace a new model, one that is starting to expand throughout the steem blockchain has nothing to do with fairness...
Basically, you are telling people to stop behaving like banksters.
'curious', 'right', 'fair'. Please excuse people like myself of limited and confused vocabulary to share our feelings with.
Of course we are going to be joining these words in our minds when our hearts sink as we try to connect with @stellabelle about this.
And the reason why my heart sinks?
Last week I delegated to someone I barely know, they needed nudging to the 500 SP mark in my eyes
I have delegations out to others (on a much lesser scale than FTG and SB of course)
I spend hours running stats to help people get the best out of their curation and delegation
I am unemployed and gift SBDs/Steem to people weekly
I'm sorry, I don't appreciate your choice of 'holy crap' words here as you may have gathered.
However, the 125,000 characters you wrote last week that I find across the blockchain during my travels I do like a lot.
I do apologize @abh12345 if what I wrote offended you in any way...it was not my intention not a personal attack on you.
I watched you from afar and know you do a lot on this site to push it forward. You are one of the names I first came across when I joined (and I dont think it was because you rank at the head of the list alphabetically). Following you in such a way, I can tell you there is nothing to be defensive about.
I would put your intentions for this place and your effort into it up there with anyone. Simply because you dont have the amounts to delegate like some others, so what....neither do I. We do what we can.
I post comments, you run stats. All is needed.
Again, I deeply regret for writing something that upset you...as I said it was not my intention.
Thank you. And I apologize for my over-reaction, that's what comes from writing with a bruised heart.
Its like, if people I respect here are feeling under-valued in any way, when we know they are providing so much to something that could be great, then that becomes me too.
I've written plenty of the gift economy, and have heard all of the news in the post above, what I haven't offered recently is an apology that i'm not doing enough, or any empathy towards users like SB who are on another level to most of us.
Thanks for the reply, it means a lot.
Everyone's contribution is needed on here. Collectively we can make this place great.
Each of us has individual talents, time, motivation, and experience we bring to the table. Our efforts on here come from intention, not worth. Each of us is worthy of all that takes place on here.
Yes users like SB and @fulltimegeek are on another level than most in terms of the financial generosity they provide....however, they are also in a position to that...
And I will tell you, I have known a number of wealthy people in my time and all of them say the easiest thing for them to do is to cut a check....finding the time to dedicate to worthy pursuits is more difficult.
Sometimes the only thing a person has to give to this site is a comment...and that is often enough.
I am from the sales/marketing background so I am use to efforts you can see. However, being on here taught me that many, including a number of whales who are not overt about it, have programming backgrounds and are doing a lot in terms of the development on this blockchain. That is something most do not see and the people do get recognized, but the jobs are getting done.
It is not me, or you, or her..it is us.
yeah, exactly. I am asking people to also look at two different models objectively: freely Delegating SP and Vote Selling. Do the math. Look at the results that @paulag laid out. It's an obvious fact that my method works to improve the human happiness dial. The vote selling leaves people empty, just like addicts. It's the heroin of Planet Steem. Disconnected people resort to vote buying. Just like addicts.
It is very obvious your method worked from the data, but let me just remind you all of what is not in the data, and that is the personal enrichment in both giving and receiving.
Amen! Divine Feminine busting up patriarchal scarcity paradigms up in here.
I disagree, life is what you make of it. If you have obstacles, then climb them, If you fall get back up and all along the way leverage the kindness in humans to make it possible, give and you will receive.
Hey again Stella...
...well you can't actually blame people.
For how many years have we been taught that scarcity will run our lives? Generations after generations after generations. Not many people experience getting gifts these days.
Nothing is given with no interest, and so when there comes one time in which a gift is given, people look at it with suspicion.
Cheers
Wow @stellabelle informative post for Gift Economy i like it .
It's true, the negative things in life always turned out to be the most talked about and trending..But i believe that most people didn't born with the gift of giving. The truth is that giving is a gift more like talent, if it's not inside you, you can't let it out. There is no one with a good work who doesn't get noticed at a long run, so the your good works will always speak for you when you're behind.
Wow great writing..I appreciate to your content choice and this part just extraordinary ..I wish you win this content ...Best of luck..Resteemit
#GIFLife #LoveIt
I think these people will not be quarreling if they work together.
Human's attention is always on the dark side- unfortunately.
Sorry.
It's not fair.
Please continue.
I know the above isn't aimed at me, but I still shoulder some of the feelings you have towards this.
However, I shall continue to gift every week and loan out my SP to those in need too.
Also, I am not saying that anything will ever be "fair". Nothing is fair, Planet Steem included. What I think I am advocating is for the real tribal leaders to step up, as I think this could easily operate with leaders who understand how the Gift Economy operates. Naturally, humans will always want to fight, and I am not saying that it will ever go away. My point is to show that vote selling operations actually do very little for this platform. Our way is better. Our way creates actual value, which can result in the Steem price going up.
'Fair' perhaps not the right choice of words. See comments to taskmaster above. I'm pissed off and upset about current events to be honest, but I shall just continue doing my thing because:
I am mostly referring to whales, and those who have gigantic sums at their disposal.
Well thing is gift giving has various perspective and sometimes it takes quite a better experience of some circumstances to know this.
I laud you and @fulltimegeek for the way you go about yours
"Native cultures are based on the philosophy that humans are the stewards of the natural world, and not consumers of the world’s resources. Unlike European American values, "wealth" in Native American culture is not measured by net worth, but rather by a combination of spiritual qualities, material goods, and behavior. Leaders are selected for their ability to take care of the tribe by sharing their wisdom and wealth" https://www.learningtogive.org/resources/native-american-culture-giving
woow good
@stellabelle For me, You've said it all.... I don't think I have anything to say, I'm not a son of bitch though 😀😀😀.... Wealth rules the world, it's ruling steemit too
lol. I had my daughter add some encouragement!
What you do is appreciated, but generally, "whales" of all stripes often have a hard time breaking free from the gravity of the past and increasing their own fortunes to levels that are entirely beyond anything that could ever be necessary. Violence and Drama are examples of people being drawn to what we see when we "Look Down" on others; when we look at things that are "Worse" than what we're doing. But we need to look up. Alx
The GIF economy? ;-)
But seriously, I find your view of the (Steem) Planet inspiring, although I realise my mind must be corrupted in order to find something as simple and rewarding as 'giving' an inspirational thought... It's mostly that it indeed isn't done enough and seen enough that it makes you an 'outsider' for doing it, which is what people find inspiring. (Like me, when I walk with a crutch, and people think I'm so inspiring for still going for a walk.)
Just keep on doing what makes you happy, there's at least one more person noticing what you and others are doing!
yeah i will start calling it the GIF economy, Fantastic!
Money does crazy things to people- we are in the infancy of steemit at this point, and I think you will quickly see two camps divide out; people who believe in gifts and people who believe in gathering wealth. If we continue to support people who support the values of the gifting economy, who are working toward the good of the community, then we will continue to have a place on this platform.
WEll I should be clear here. I believe in BOTH. I have the abundant mindset, and I believe also in a meritocracy.....I just think leaders should emerge who have the abundant mindset too.
I agree that both are necessary for the success of steemit. And you've proven that we are getting leaders who believe in that ;) we just have to keep building up people who already have that mindset
Those who have the least always give the most. I have noticed this throughout my life and can say with certainty it’s a truism. Most wealthy and upper middle class pour money into pet projects that enhance their lives and those of their friends. 🐓
Bad news sells newspapers, that is why the big players giving out SP for free like you and fulltimegeek does not get as much press as those doing vote selling. It is the weird ways of the world and we are almost getting used to it. Thanks to you and other great steemians doing great things without fanfare attached.
I have decided to create violent art that goes along with my "good news" posts, in the hopes that people will get adrenalin and hooked to my gift economy ways......it's a start?
I think the guns and blood did not help my tone when i reached the comments section, but don't mind me!
@abh12345, I guess that happens when you are passionate about some things
Yes I think so. Thanks for your understanding @greenrun, I wish you a magical 2018.
@abh12345, I wish you an awesome 2018 too
@stellabelle, it would surely raise some awareness by stirring up some dirt in the "clean" waters.
Well Said!
-Seneca The Younger-
you are right @stellabelle no one pays attention to gift economy because people of this era are little bit selfish they want to think about their self and their goal. that's why they pay attention to whales. however there are few who give importance to gift economy as you mentioned in your post. keep sharing.:)
@stellabelle. Some of us had an extensive chat on discord this a.m. about just this subject. We were trying to decide what if anything we could do about the "flag wars" etc. The best suggestion was to "ignore it". However, many unsuspecting people are being dragged in by the high rewards without understanding the underlying gaming involved. So it is imperative that posts like this one get created. Thank you. Steemit is life and sometimes it stinks, but thank god we have it and more good folks than ugly. Keep on keepin' on.
I think steemit needs somebody like you who will shed more light on this fact "Human happiness is the goal, and it is also the reason people stick around" than having some whales who operate vote selling "businesses" continue to get a lot of attention, those engaged in various wars, cheating, etc., while those of us (myself and @fulltimegeek) who are delegating our SP voluntarily (and with no monetary ROI), are not getting the same attention. I have taken my time to read few of ur post and I realized you are doing a great job so I suggest you be our voice. Thanks
Do a good deed, then, don't tell anyone.
Who cares if everyone is looking at the negativity. Do the good deed for yourself.
Look at the joke I played on everyone yesterday. According to your logic, I should have seen record views. It's not the case. I found exactly who I was looking for.
Anyway. You probably won't even read this. Have a nice day.
I just read this.
Now ask yourself why you only focused on the negative part. :)
Yes. I did that on purpose. A trick.
You have spoken well @stellabelle as only few people understand the gift economy, but a post like this will bring more light to situation like this.
Wolf of Steem thanks... follow you :D
That is all nice and well, but you are missing the root.
Humans can't give until they have enough to survive themselves.
If you keep a population in lack, fear and a not enough mentality, then you effectively control them.
Advertisements that make you feel not good enough, but maybe you will feel more complete if you buy this product, are the antithesis to the gift economy. If you still have any of this programming going into your mind, you will always feel needy.
Fear is brought to us by our tell-a-visions (by plan) but the real fear is what we are seeing in our society. It is all crumbling around us. There are major changes coming. That creates fear. We have to work with that fear.
We need to develop abundance. Similar to how @papa-pepper is doing. Living by radically low monthly costs will building out infrastructure that will support his family and others.
In a competition based economy, the sociopaths are the natural dominant critters. And this is why you see them at the top. That, and they love power more than life.
A gift economy has to start with getting people to the level of having enough.
Your good works are seen by many. Do not get discouraged because of the perception of the community.
A wise book says there's more happiness in giving than there is in receiving. It is for a reason, with time most whales will come to see how such selfless attitude could eventually pay off.
Yep, very good idea. If this happen then everyone will try to post meaningful content instead of buying votes for their posts that contains common stuff. And it will also motivate the one's who want to earn money rather than buying it. I hope this happen so everyone get what they deserve. No offense to anyone.... :))
I sincerely appreciate what you do. I recently read about the 250 steem you have out and i was totally blown away. I always love selfless acts. Your heart is golden, so are you and not every one can understand the concept of giving. If only they know that giving enlarges the heart and even resources. If we care enough, share enough, the world will have enough. The world has enough of our needs but not enough for our greed. I always live by the code: 'I would rather live for a day and touch many lives than to live for hundred years and not be remebered by many'. Your influence really spread like fragrance and that is why i even followed. I want to see more and learn more. God bless your heart. Thank you for doing what you do. Please be encouraged to do more. I salute you.
Well, I will tell you this, which might make you change your mind about me a bit. I invest in people. I am a fan of Alexandra's art, so much so that I want to buy it. This urge resulted in me giving her Steem. I find the act of buying stuff a bit weird, and i avoid it a lot. I prefer to give gifts as it's easier for me to act on my passions. In return for this gift i have given her, I am getting a painting. I painting that i love, which she painted. I think this shows that I have real reasons to give certain people Steem. And you can also see that I operate not on market based rules, but on Gift Economy rules. But there is still an exchange going on. I don't gift to people who I feel are not of value.....there's a big difference in this.
Exactly. You are encouraging those with talents and substance and such encouragement would motivate them to do more and even have self belief knowing whatever it is they are doing is not in vain. It sure goes a long way and i salute you for that. Change my mind about you? Hahahaha. Never crossed my mind. I am naturally drawn to learning and knowing and you have another follower now who can be motivated and encouraged with what you do. What you did for her made me know her and i checked her works and i was totally blown away and i told her so. Thanks for serving as an encouragement. It always goes a long way. what comes from the heart touches the heart.
I like the gift Economy rules. Yes, there is still an exchange involved. Smart and still helpful.
How does a neo-Luddite go about delegating?
Good post! Thanks for sharing one of the most wonderful post, good pictures and reanimated videos. Keep it up. I follow and upvote you.
Violence is driven by natural human survival instinct. I triggers emotional buttons that is natural to our animal state. After all we are Animals trying to survive.
But, as a famous journalist in brazil Said once(Ricardo Boechat), Charity and share are some of the few things that come from rational thinking, and that is the kind of thing that makes humans a singular animal.
I believe in the joy of giving... I think if "you give", something is going to come back some day.
I have a buddhist vision of of life :-)
Big plastic hug
Steemitri The Mannequin
yes, i do too.....we are similar in our philosophies, i see. big hug back! non-plastic.
There is no joy as great as giving to someone who you either respect or like passionately!
@stellabelle, since my short stay in this platform I was curious to see why people where ra ibg about you. I didn't run to your profile to find out but got caught up today with the headline of this post.
I'm so glad to have found this early on as it's going to be part of my building blocks in Steemit.
Wealth is so relative as most of us associate it with money, when it's only a corner of the wonky wheel. Try to feel wealthy by holding a billion in the bank while shitting your guts out in the toilet from some sort of disease. I bet the less we can think of is the billions in the bank. Unless you're a dick, or maybe I'm talking because I don't have the billions in the bank 😸 , but I had experience it with little. Money buys comfort but not happiness, a nice car, a nice house can only be so comfortable without friends, without health, without spiritual fulfilment.
The Americans (the ones that arrive later) they implemented by force in the natives to say "my land" instead of "our land" and so on.
There's an excellent video explaining the atrocities that the natives had to go through.
Lucky some good souls are still carrying on the pole of Hope like you.
I'm a believer of @stellabelle because of this Post only !
Gift on!
Gaston
i grew up in an intentional community where we share land. It's not amish or anything, but i believe this concept has impacted the way i think and live. I thought it was normal to have a large area of land that is communal, and shared with the community members. I still live this way, with shared land. It has advantages over individiual ownership.....and the group watching out for each other has advantages as well.
NIce! Very few people of modern times even look into the best practices of indigenous peoples. They had a wealthier mindset than us, always did.......I see this kind of living re-emerging as we realize that our natural resources are indeed limited.