Humans have evolved to be a social species and apparently this is one of the reasons that we out-survived the Neanderthals, as even though more intelligent, were less capable of forming larger groups and tribes that could face and solve problems together. Not only this, we are solution builders, where we look to solve problems as they arise. These aspects of our evolution play a profound part in our personal wellbeing, where we derive our meaning from our ability to solve problems in relation to the social group. It is because of this that we have also developed an ego, and care about what others think of us - even those who claim not to care.
We seem to be a long way from the tribal communities of ancient times, but as far as our evolution goes, we are still right back there around the campfires. And this is observable through the way we behave today, where people are looking for meaning in their lives by attaching themselves to some kind of community, even if it is by label only. Everyone wants to feel part of a tribe, yet simultaneously, want to feel like an individual. But what is interesting is that while these things might seem contradictory, in the context of the tribe, they are not, because through roles, individuals are able to also be part of the tribe, working toward a common purpose.
I was writing about this the other day and used the tribal example split into some very basic roles of hunters, gatherers, builders, teachers, and healthcare providers. But there are other divisions that could be made for tribal society, from leadership positions, to warfare, to even magic creation. But the point is that everyone had at least one role in the community, and had responsibilities. Even the children.
Everyone was an owner.
And this is how I see Hive. It is more complex in many ways than an ancient tribe, but it also incorporates all of the same roles and divisions, as well as triggers the social aspects of our DNA. I have described it as a city before also, with different suburbs and subcultures, and that is also part of the story. And we are all owners here, or at least, have the potential to be owners within the community - something that many people around the world are struggling to do currently, as the economic conditions disenfranchise and disempower them. On Hive, everyone has the potential to take some responsibility and therefore, become a role-based owner of some kind.
"Taking responsibility" seems to scare a lot of people these days, because it speaks to making choices and having to commit, costing freedom. But, it is only through responsibility that freedom is possible. Those who are uncommitted to anything, are not free, as they are powerless to control their direction. They might float "freely" through life, but none if it is of their own freewill.
Freedom is being able to be in control of your own behaviour.
And it is in pursuit of personal agency that so many people are choosing to be "part of something" that they consider larger than themselves, A cause, a movement, an ideological position where they get to feel that they are doing something at their own volition, toward something that they see as important. Yet, most of the causes out there are engineered to trigger exactly this kind of behaviour, hooking people into them and directing them to act accordingly. Everything from the way people vote, the violence they generate at a "peaceful" protest, is orchestrated. They are playing a role in the community still, but that role is not toward a greater good, it is as an agent of those in control.
I see Hive as an undirected movement toward greater freedom, whether that be at a social, financial or a personal thought level. It is a place where people really can make of it as they will, given their experience and willingness to learn and act toward their goal. That goal might be to have a certain amount of HIVE POWER staked, be a witness, or build a topical community around something they find interesting. On Hive, it is possible to choose the role one wants to play.
Most people choose to be a user only, in the same way they are a user of the centralised platforms. This could be because we have been conditioned to be consumers of content, rather than owners of our own creations. Or it could be that we don't want to take ownership, don't want to commit, and don't want to invest into the platform. But on Hive, taking responsibility comes with freedom.
People get hung up on the aspects around the economics, where they are more concerned with their potential earnings or potential losses, than the rest of the value they could get out of the platform. When it comes to experience, money isn't everything, but it is hard to hold this mindset whilst simultaneously constantly under financial pressures in the real world. It is a reality of life that the modern world requires money, and a lot of our energy goes toward obtaining and worrying about it, whether blatantly or subtly.
And it costs our wellbeing.
Hive is a tool. And as I have said many times prior, I believe that if I wasn't introduced to this tool, the last nine years of my life would have far, far worse. And it isn't because of financial reasons, because I haven't spent anything. It is because it has given me a space to take ownership of my experience, process my thoughts, and influence my behaviours. And it hasn't come through self-reflection alone, but in the context of a community, of others who both agree with and disagree with me much of the time.
If we aren't committed to our own experience, what are we doing?
And this lack of taking responsibility for oneself is what has led to the massive victimhood mentality push of the last decades, where people have said "I have no control over how I feel or what I do". We have been convinced to be powerless to use our own potential. But here on Hive, people can start reprogramming themselves in profound ways, exploring the very issues that we have been told we are unable to affect. Not only that, we have the ability here to learn new ways and practice them in an ecosystem that largely mimics the physical world, because people here are physical beings, with all the diverse problems we face.
And we can find solutions.
All we need do to start building our wellbeing as an individual, is start engaging with others in a role that is toward a greater good. It needn't be a global greater good where all subscribe to the cause, it can be a personal one, but doing it alone is far less effective or rewarding than doing it with others.
Now, let's think back to those basic tribal roles.
Hunters, gatherers, builders, teachers, and healthcare providers.
Where is the critic?
There were disagreements, there were arguments, there were differing opinions. But, there was no socially destructive role. Everything was about adding value to the greater good, not destroying the value of others for personal benefit. Yet, the political and financial world we have created has made the "destroyer" the role for many people, where their participation in a particular group or movement isn't to build positively, but to take down enemies. The majority of people are "warfare" soldiers, working at the behest of egomaniacal leaders.
We needn't replicate that on Hive.
The beauty of a decentralised environment like Hive is that everyone can "do what they want" without having to destroy the developments of others. But this doesn't mean that there are not consequences for action, because people and groups are going to respond to the actions of others. But if everyone is building positively in their own way toward adding value to Hive, there is actually little chance of warfare, even if there are discussions of disagreement. It is only when people's behaviour is seen as a net negative to Hive that problems arise. Hive can keep expanding in almost any direction, without it taking from another direction.
But this requires participants to subscribe to the mindset of the greater good, which is a trait that is being lost in society as we have become more disconnected and individualistic. But, those who choose to spend their time acting positively, engaging positively, building, creating, leading and supporting - will find that not only will their Hive experience improve, they will also experience improvement in the rest of life too. There is an inevitability to it, because this is how we have been wired to derive value and meaning from our world.
Because, we are social animals, evolved to solve problems.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
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We can improve our own lives and also help lift up the people around us by taking on our responsibilities in the community,
For sure. Not everyone can afford to be financially charitable, but it is possible to be charitable with time, energy, and kindness.
Neanderthals lived in small groups and likely valued each other more and were kinder. In larger groups, however, there was more competition and harm to one another. Perhaps for this reason, kinder people gave way to more aggressive ones on this planet.
Possibly. They were smarter according to brain size, but had lower social ability. That means that they likely would never get to the moon, because the amount of people required is immense.
In fact, many people today are at a standstill because they do not want to take responsibility. Those who take responsibility move forward in life because they find solutions to problems through responsibility. It is mandatory for anyone to take responsibility for the work they do, their life. On what basis does someone else take responsibility for the work they do?
I must honestly admit that many changes have occurred in my life after meeting the Hive community. I was able to freely share the things that suited me in this community. I gained a freedom beyond financial status through this. In fact, the decentralized platform allowed me to freely share my experiences. In a society where money is essential, it gave me an additional free space to earn money in my life.
I think a lot of people leave the decisions of their life up to other people and relying on them to provide. They act like children, well past childhood.
This is good. What is great is if you are able to invest and build here, to help other people do similar.
It's pathetic that most people who get onboarded to hive come for financial rewards and overlook the value they could contribute or get from the platform. The right way should be to contribute value and get rewarded or get value from others and reward them. Not any other way. I wonder what it will take for hivers to acquire this mindset.
I think it speaks to the kind of person they are off the platform too. Most in this world currently aren't looking to be part of a community by providing value to the community, they are looking to extract with minimal effort.
We are more independent in the Hive than in our personal lives. But in reality, we prefer to be users in the Hive rather than witnesses or investors or owners.
The thing with being a user only, is that it is like being a drug addict. Part of the supply chain, but not a beneficiary.
Great insight! Thinking together definitely makes those races even more exciting! 🤝
Lots of racing references. What for? :D
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STOPSome of us are also more critical by nature, I have to keep reminding myself to be more positive in the real life and not focus on what my wife calls the 5%. Meaning something is 95% good, but I would focus on the last 5% and try to improve that. Oftentimes that is counterproductive...
I actually wish I could be more involved in HIVE as crazy as it sounds. Given my technical background, I feel I should be contributing more, but my skill set isn't in coding or development, so I don't really know what that would look like.
Am still amazed you haven't spent any of your earnings. The discipline (for consistency and delaying gratification) should be studied.
How did you managed it though...that you've never seen your earnings as an option when things get rough. There are countless times when I powered down believing I had no choice. One thing I do know ( and a lesson I'll take) is that I solved no long term problems by doing so (powering down).
All my problems are still with me...lol