When I was young I was bullied. I have written about it before and won't go into it here. People are trying to stop bullying, they are wrong. Bullies are vital parts of the ecosystem, at least for now. They serve a purpose; reality.
I have never fit in to most places, I do not plan on ever fitting in. All of my life I have been underestimated, undervalued, underappreciated. That is okay with me, I like it this way, I am comfortable as an Underdog.
Being an underdog has its advantages as for the most part, it is easy to fly past the radars undetected as people largely ignore which means, time to myself. But, at times, people with small minds and weak hearts think the underdog is the easy target, a way to prove themselves without having to risk themselves.
One time at a bar, there was a big guy being an asshole to women on the dance floor, my friend said something to him and he got angry. He looked my friend up and down and realized he was built like a tank so, he swung at me, the guy half his height and size. I moved backward to avoid the blow but he clipped my lip and split it.
It was the only swing he had a chance to complete before he was on the floor in the fetal position. That was almost 20 years ago and was the last time I ever punched someone. That was one of the few times in my life where instinct nearly completely took over my body and I let loose. 5 seconds of misery before I caught my hands.
I am not an aggressive person but in those few seconds, I realized that if push comes to shove, I can shove back when required. There is a certain amount of confidence that brings but I felt ashamed at the loss of control. I have more ability now.
Perhaps it is because of my own position or perhaps it is the Australian culture but, I back the underdogs too. For me, if I have no skin in the game either way, I will support the team that is least likely to win, the undervalued or the unexpected. It has cost me a lot over the years as I am not the kind to play the games to get advantage at the expense of others. At least, not intentionally so. Backing the losers is not shined upon by the winners.
It has been the same here as for the most part, my Steemit development posts and work have all been toward increasing the developments for the entire community, not one particular group of it. Yes, I lean toward written and traditionally higher quality content but, in general I see that the future of community is in less gaps of distribution. Never confuse this with equal distribution though.
Equal doesn't bring out the best in people, equal doesn't create the tension between points, the polarization for attraction, the drive to be better. I don't want my wife to be equal to a man, I want her to have the opportunity to be her best as the woman she is and I support her as much as I can to have the space to be just that. And, as frustrating as it is, she doesn't want me to be like her either. Sure, it would make things easier but, there would be no space for the push and pull of attraction to take place, no space to learn from each other and no way to help each other improve. You don't have to agree, you have your own lives to live.
Very rarely in my life have I ever been called selfish or greedy, in fact, I do not remember a time. I have looked into that mirror to review though as it is the greed and maximization of individual worth that is leading to a very fractured community. I am not talking about here, I am talking globally. Steemit is just another instance of it, the difference being that many believe that it is fundamentally different... until you observe a little closer.
I feel heavily tested here, I like that. I feel that I am challenged each day to question my moral self and my ethical standards. These have to be reviewed and adjusted from time to time as it is very possible that what one thinks is an ethical position at one point, turns out not to be in changed circumstances.
I have watched many people here that have changed their ethical positions and moral stances heavily over time and for the most part, for the worse. Often the idea of power corrupts is true because once it is tasted, they feel entitled to more. They become collectors.
For me, the more stake I earned, the more responsibility I felt to the community who provided it. My personal ethics dictate this and again, it is costing me dearly, perhaps it will eventually cost me everything.
These positions are because I am an eternal underdog though and always will be because no matter how others view me, this is how I view myself. No matter how many lives I get to live, I will never be satisfied with who I am, I am never going to stop.
People say 'accept yourself the way you are' but, that is generally a bullshit excuse to not take responsibility for personal thoughts, circumstances and behaviors. Accept yourself right now in this very moment but, in the very next instant, push for better.
The funny thing here is that I was hoping that I would be able to make a difference in people's lives and benefit along the way personally too. It might be a pipe dream as the support has to come from up higher but, be spread downward. That is not the general movement of value.
Perhaps, I will never earn another dollar here other than my own staked vote. It could be that no one will ever read another one of my articles but, I hope that they have helped someone improve their life just a little in some way, even if they never attribute it to me. I don't care much for attribution, I care for distribution, I care for better action now for better circumstances tomorrow.
When it comes to value and support, the underdog will rarely have a lot because to have it means to lose the status, at least in the eyes of others. For me personally though, I will never lose my personal underdog status and I will always back myself in a fight.
This is a little bit of a personal ramble, do with it what you will. Also, research less and ramble more, there is much more value in personal discovery than parroted knowledge.
Taraz
[ a Steemit original ]
I really do hope that Steemit will bring you huge success. You work so much here and your work is very inspirational. I like to read your honest posts no matter what.. You challenge people to think, to form their opinions, to take a look at phenomena. All this has value.
It is a lot of fun too. I like this place and do think there is hope despite the many posts criticising it.
Well there are flaws but I also see a lot of value besides cryptocurrency. Language development, learning all sort of stuff, new thoughts.. And yes, also fun :)
Yeah, it bothers me when people say "you have to accept people as they are" as in to not talk about issues or get them to see the errors of their ways, to just tolerate anything about anyone. No. I see who they are, I accept the way they currently are, that is how they are now, but I don't have to accept being around it, or tolerate it.
I like underdogs for the most part too ;)
The other thing is when 'who they are' is causing harm to other people.
This is easily my favorite of your posts.
Quite likely because I relate so well.
However, I encourage you to continue all the work you have been doing, regardless of apparent effect, or whether I agree with it.
We never know how much our efforts influence others.
How many currently renowned people were poor, under valued and even denigrated in their own time?
This works in both the positive and negative and even though it is up to each of us how we behave, we should also think about the ramifications and influence we may have.
Thanks tarazkp. You are not rambling and you speak sense. I agree with a lot of what you say and enjoy reading your posts every day. It is amazing what inner strength we find when the chips are down. Not all of us have it but the ones that do have it know they can use it if pushed into a corner. Great article. Thanks again.
You are always welcome to listen in on my rants and ravings.
We've all been under dogs at something.
I remember my own struggles and how, against all odds, I emerged stronger.
We must keep believing in ourselves if we are to stand any chance. Like you did in the piece above, we've got take on our giants, to put bullies in their place.
THey already hold their place, perhaps some will learn in time their position is poor but for the most part, it is us that have actually put them there, not themselves.
I am not a violent person neither, but I have also felt what you experienced in the bar, that lost of control and that rage that makes you capable of anything even climbing walls to get to your objective. That's adrenaline.
About the underdog status, well, I suppose most of the people feel like that. I think we all should strive to be better everyday, accepting ourselves doesn't have to mean being a conformist. We can accept ourselves as we are while also working to become a better version of us.
It took me by surprise at the time how quick my response was. The body is quite incredible.
Thi is the goal of life isn't it? To find out who we really are.
I like this;
It speaks of the willingness to be original, to invent, and also the strength it takes to see yourself for who you are and accept you. That is how writing should be.
Humans will not change and steemit will not change philosophies ingrained Into them for centuries. Steemit, it seems, despite the advert to the contrary has manged to bring those ingrained prejudices and characteristics out.
Quality content refers to stake not post. When you have more stake, you can do whatever you like and it seems so similar to society we live in. While those who have little stake are limited; bandwidth, sp, follows, upvotes, etc.
The reason is simple, we see money as a proof of success, so wherever the money is, is where we want to be. No matter how good a writer you are, if you have not sold millions of copies of your book, you are just average in the eyes of the world.
I am sure that there are people with good intentions here, but it would be nice if we all had good intentions for the platform and the people living off it.
It has indeed emphasized them, much like the actions of someone who has had a few too many.
Yep. that is society and every individual that supports that view.
Do all you possibly can to not rely on this to live off.