Everyone has their story, their reasons, and their motivations to explain where they are right now, and why.

I'm no different.

I sat down earlier this morning composing a post that would undoubtedly have gone down in the annals of all literary masterpieces , and as I sipped away on my coffee, I looked out at the gorgeous sunny morning, lush countryside, and smelled the breakfast wafting through - one that my beautiful girlfriend Lucy was cooking.
There I was, drinking my coffee, smoking my cigarette, and petting my two doggies as they sat on my feet...no work to have to go to, no boss to please, no debt to service...

(and both of them as soft as anything, with Me and Luce)

....and then I thought to myself 'fucking hell, life is good'.

And then I had a 30 second power cut.

Bugger.

My 'literary masterpiece' had disappeared into the ether, and when the comp had rebooted - It wasn't there.
(I already knew that in the back of my mind, so the 'slitting my wrists stage' had abated).
...and I couldn't seem to find the 'original literary masterpiece ' rattling around inside my brain, either. ... Another Bugger.

So.... you'll just have to put up with this post instead.

I read one of @practicalthought 's comment on one of my posts...
https://blurt.blog/blurtlife/@lucylin/my-video-all-about-the-video-confused-read-on

...here's the comment:

I feel bad for Dan from ThreeSpeak. He invested so heavily out of pocket, both in the coin and then the structure to provide a video platform for the chain before realizing how toxic the controlling stakeholders were. I'm sure it would be devastating for him financially if he allowed his investment in coin and infrastructure to collapse. Other than Aggroed who I'm sure has snaked back mass profits to his investment by allowing other revenue sources such as fiat and Bitcoin etc, Dan hung his hat on the Steem then Hive hat rack. He is perhaps the greatest warning one can have to understand who one is getting into bed with as business partners before jumping into the shiny illusion of utopia.
I remember watching him and Bernie go at it, with Bernie trying to be careful at first in their exchanges in an attempt to lull him back to sleep that the toxicity wasn't as bad as it appeared. That failing because Dan knew what he was seeing, it escalated with insults from Bernie over time.
Now they just ignore Dan and his views on the toxic behavior, knowing he wont do shit to tank his large investment. As they say in many places
Sucks to be him.

I don't know how accurate this may be, but I do know how true it is to 'get into bed' with the wrong business partners.
It’s painful and - generally - very costly to.
It was for me anyways .
And I've heard enough horrible stories following the same path to know that it happens far too often.

No one knows the heart of another, and psychopaths/sociopaths, and malignant narcissists are experts at deception. …It's there forte.
They're also absent a 'heart'.

Because most people are good, we make assumptions that the people we meet are also of the same in nature.
But that 's all it is.
An assumption.
This assumption is the hunting ground for 'the human predator'.
They know that most people will approach other people with this assumed view of being 'the same as them'.

The true sociopath - a psychology created from environmental experiences , or true psychopath - genetic in nature, rather than environmental - is adept at deceiving and manipulating.
They've learned from an early age how to take from others by using manipulation techniques.
If manipulation is not enough, they have no moral qualms about resorting to lies, threats and even violence, to achieve their aims.
This post isn't a psychology post.

This meandering is simply to illustrate the dangers of getting into bed with the wrong people.
(As I've said, I have no idea about Dan and threespeak - but actions would indicate at least some degree of veracity, to the comment ).

The best way to discover 'the face behind the mask’ is to observe actions, not words.
Actions are verifiable.
Just as 'follow the money' is a pretty good rule of thumb to discover the motivations behind someone’s actions, all actions (or inactions) tell a story.

Whether you interpret the story correctly or not , is another matter altogether.

Which brings me back to...
My life being pretty fucking good this morning.
I have everything.
A beautiful place to live.
A gorgeous girlfriend, who's also my best friend.
Two fantastic doggies.
No stress (apart from the stress I create myself , in the persuit of truths ).

I also have no debt.

(The curse of greed- of wanting mooooar- has long since disappeared in the rearview mirror).

And this is something that I don't take into consideration enough with other people, methinks.

I did say this was 'a walk on the mild side, did I not? lol

....Debt, and the stress it causes on health, intimate relationships, and interactions with others, is very real, and it seems (to me) that the consequences of all that stress are always negative ones .
I don't know this - but I'd virtually guarantee that 'road rage' incidents are as a result of built up stress - Stress that has nothing to do with the specific traffic incident that sparked the road rage.

I DO know what severe financial stress is, and the internal pressures it creates.
I know it very well.

I've been there, and I've gotten the T-shirt, the poster, and the signed book!
I hated it.
I hated it so much in fact, that I consciously downsized my life, shed much of what I thought was essential (and then found out it really wasn't) and started again.

With this shift away from the 'high octane' lifestyle, one of high consumption, high ...well high 'everything' really... came the shift in mindset.
In perspective.

I forget that this 'severe financial stress' is a still a reality for many .

I forget the soul destroying energies involved in ‘running on the treadmill just to keep your head above water’ is very real for many people.

'I'm in control, I'm in control'...

...'Oops,... no I'm not..'

Why many people find themselves in this position is another matter, and beyond the scope of this post.

Just as people assume other people are essentially 'good people' (because approx. 92% of them are) - I also fall into the trap and assume (incorrectly), that other people are of the same mindset as my own - which is patently absurd.
I never said that I wasn't stupid...(I'm the first to admit it, alright? lol).

The 'problem' I face (this an Aspergers asparagus’s trait) is the lack of empathy.
It's not really a problem to me you understand, but I'm aware of it.

*Not 'lack of empathy' as in the sociopath/psychopath context - but a lack of empathy as in not appreciating the position of other people’s lives, and what their stresses are and how it effects them .

If I don't have an emotional investment in a person - I don't have the patience - or the motivation more importantly - to take their position on board.
This isn't from any kind of 'superiority' standpoint , although I know how it can come across like that.

It's from a place of :

...'lets try to find out the truth of things.....

....I don't really care too much about your 'feels', or have any respect for your weak narratives....Argue me out of my position, by explaining to me where I'm going wrong in my thought process...

There's both good and bad aspects to this 'asparagus thingy'....

The good part is, that you can always count on me to be brutally honest.
The not so good part, is that I can run roughshod over people without ever intending to .

The good part is, that I can be brutal with my enemies, without any feelings of negativity whatsoever.
The bad part is, that I can misconstrue behaviors that I see as hostile - which can simply be fear and stupidity - and then feel I like a total twat.
(My mockery of idiocy, and idiots, has a much deeper meaning to it than being a total twat, btw- That's my next post!)

....It also means that if I am ever fucked over, my already 'low empathy' ratings hit absolute zero.
Hell, my empathy can ‘go subterranean’...

Which bring me back to ' the Dan comment' above (why do I hear Forrest Gump yelling his name , every time that I type 'Dan'? lol)

'Financial stress' is one of the biggest modern day stresses that there is.

Because I have no 'skin in the financial stress game' my perspective are not clouded by the same self centered , greedy , motivations that many individuals do have.

Bill Gates has ‘skin in the game’ with big pharma, for example – and you can see quite clearly how this decides what he say’s, and how he says it.

It's exactly the same with the Hive block chain, from what I see.... (minus bill gates - I think - but who really knows? lol....We do have some 'Klaus Schwab sycophants' in the higher echelons, that's for sure).

Moving on....

....‘Skin in the game’ clouds things - it distorts reality (hopium being the favored narcotic of choice), and, as such, it decides - to a great degree- how things are presented.
Those with no moral compass, or ethical concerns, have no issue about lying to sustain their narrative.
By NOT succeeding in the pushing of the hopium induced narrative, they may well lose a lot more than just the skin that they have in this particular game.
A lot more.

What the ‘greed for mooooar’ also does, is blind you to the cost that comes with compromising your morals in the name of ' achieving success'...

‘Tangible’ stuff is very easy to quantify - and to visualize.
.... but for those who find it hard to understand or comprehend the higher qualities of being human (and it’s very high value) , it’s much ‘safer’ to think about the worldly representation of value.
Money and materialism.
It's how a 'not so bright person', or someone who's not in touch with themselves, can interpret their life as ‘being a success’.

Nothing is free...

...the cost of losing your integrity and moral compass , and the price you pay for the loss, will be of a far higher one than any bank balance could ever hope to compensate with a few $$$ signs.....

You'll never know what it means to be 'deeply content’ for example.

'Skin in the game' prevents you from ever being you - your authentic you - and thus, ever being truly content.

'Contentedness' is an extremely high qualitative state of being , and is the very thing that most people strive for (consciously or otherwise).

Modern society, it's values, and a lack of motivation for spiritual growth, leads to a very twisted way of thinking - One of chasing the dollar, and you’ll find contentment....

If the compromising of your integrity and morals is the cost of material success , then what you’re really doing – is running IN THE OPPOSITE direction from where you actually need to be going.

( while at the same time, telling yourself that you’re running in the right direction).

Hive.

My 'skin in the game' considerations, re hive - are still the same ones that I had when I joined steem, - the ability to earn crypto to sustain my lifestyle. - i.e $15-20 a day income, for writing my gibberish/ making video's. etc..
For writing my truths.
The free market aspect of hive decided that my take on the world was worth this daily amount (on average).

I have no problem getting wealthier from a free markets, they are nature’s rhythms in action, but I wasn't looking 'to get wealthier', I was looking to just to fill my daily bowl of rice.

Hive is not a free market.

Anyone that tells you this IS the case, does not understand economics, philosophy - or both (most likely).
Or, it's a conscious, manipulative attempt, to lie/ gaslight you.

Controlled economies are not free markets.
These kind of constructs are simply the control freaks taking on the mantle of being ‘nature’ and then trying to playing god.
Silly people.
Hubris blinds.
Hive is most certainly 'a controlled economy' in many , many, aspects.
This is why it will ultimately fail if it stays the same (imo).
All controlled economies do.
They are unnatural. Good luck in trying to compete against nature.
See every failed controlled economy as evidence - or is it different this time? lol (where have I heard that one before..?)

If the token price of a crypto currency rises as a result of the platform growing organically via free markets mechanisms - then happy days for everyone.

This is where the fundamental problem lies with hive.

People with 'power', wanting to play god.
(‘small man syndrome’, fear based psychology, low self esteem and intellectual insecurity, are all things that can add up to this 'wanting to play god' mindset expressing itself outwards, and into the real world).

I know very well, some of the financial pressures that some so called 'big account holders' are under.
And that must really suck - as it affects all aspects of life.

What most don’t understand (or can’t intellectually grasp), is that the actions expressed through utilizing a negative psychology are the very actions leading you - 180 degrees - away from what most people desire.
To be content.

If having a contented, full life , is not your aim, then you really are a lost soul - or a sad loser, psychopath.

If being content IS your aim, then you have to make sure that you pick the right tools for the job .
Negative psychological makeups, such as having intellectual insecurity, are tools that are not only ‘not up for the job’, but they'll sabotage all your well intentioned (but misguided) actions.

Everything is connected...There are no coincidences.

Can't ‘get it up’ , in the bed department ?
That's your brain losing 20 cents on your token price earlier, just when you thought it was going up 20 cents. .....
Everything is connected, not matter how much you may wish to compartmentalize it and control it to be in neat little boxes of your own design.
The universe doesn’t work that way.
YOU might want it to work that way, but guess what?...
The universe dances to it's own rhythms, and you either listen and go with it - or you get a limp cock.

I don't think that the universe really care's too much about whether people choose to listen to the music or not....

Learn and listen ....get to understand the rhythms of the universe…..

FIND CONTENTMENT ....

The ‘lack of being content’ isn't my life anymore..

It's the diametric opposite.
I've the good fortune of no stress, no dysfunctional relationships (which are , statistically, mostly due to money issues).
I no longer live in that negative environment in daily life - Ones that I'm sure many people are suffering from.
(I'd like to say that my life had been all perfectly 'planned' out , and I arrived here by design - but that would be total bollocks. I’m not the ocean, I just ride the waves).

My lack of 'skin in the game' + almost zero financial stress = The luxury of being able to see things objectively.
Detached.
Calmly.

'Detachment' is a basic tenet of all philosophies concerning 'getting to know yourself.'

It's a widely acknowledged prerequisite of learning. ..Of starting on the path to wisdom.

(I've yet to hear a counter argument to this perspective).

Some people will see the value in this privilege I have - It's one that I've managed to, somehow, stumble into..

Other people see it as a threat !

Wake up and smell the goddamn coffee.... please!

Detached & Calm.....

*...no matter how my 'emotionally charged rants' appear to others.
'Calm' and 'frustration' are not be mutually exclusive positions - and the two very different states can both be fully held, simultaneously.

This is why (I believe) , that I see Hive very differently than some of the large stakeholders.
I know some of the financial pressures that some of these account holders are under.
So, while I can understand the motivations behind the weak arguments in the shilling of hive , and the willful blindness to philosophical truths where Hive falls down philosophically, ethically, and morally - it doesn't mean I accept them.

When short term financial 'gain', comes at the cost of selling your integrity down the river and, rather than doing what you know to be right , you choose what's expedient in that moment instead, it doesn't make the actions any more acceptable – or wise (It’s the opposite of wise).

While some people think that they're 'being a bit clever' with such a strategy, your health, your relationships, and your quality of life - will tell you a very different story.
But only if you open your eyes and see what’s going on around you, and
if you choose to listen to what the universe is quietly whispering…(at approx. the 130 decibels levels - if you choose to really listen).

Nothing is free, and the cost of losing your integrity will not ,cannot, be paid back through the riches you obtain by being less than authentic.

*none of this is applies to sociopaths, psychopaths and malignant narcissists.
You can't ever stroke rabid dog into not being a rabid dog.
That's just the way it is.
Observe actions, discount words , and look for motivations behind the actions - and then make up your own minds...

And That ....

....was my 'a walk on the mild side'.....

Normal service will resume shortly, with a post about why I employ the strategies that I do.
.... and maybe a funny story using gifs - to illustrate the point .
(and maybe melt a snowflake or two along the way )...

Have a great day everyone !

(Except for the control freaks wanting to play god, of course).

To all control freaks reading this ...

(...And they so do, btw)....It's hilarious. Imagine taking value from something in whatver shape and size - and them down voting it?
Parasites are always gonna parasite...

*I never realized quite how powerful I was! ......Or alternatively - and much more likely - I'm not powerful at all .
It's just that 'they' are just so goddamn small and weak, that I appear to them, as such...bleeesssss !
Anyways..

Remember:

Acting at playing god will NOT make your penis any bigger, or make you any more popular.

You just look like a big dick by acting that way - and what you interpret as 'being popular' is either fear or pity.
(and both of those options still make you look as ugly as fuck to sane people).....