Imagine the thunder rolling in on a hot, Kansas night. The lightning dances across the sky to send a message--as if she desires to be seen-- the thunder responds with his mysterious clap, and together the electric magic happens with relief in the form of rain bursting from the clouds. As a little girl or boy, you can't imagine the POWER you're feeling, experiencing, as the wind howls at you for peaking outside when you're supposed to be tucked under the covers. At the same time, you just can't resist watching the wheat being pushed down as the wind torments the farms, the animals stir nervously and if you blink, you might miss the night sky becoming bright with the lightning's energy.
These storms are common in Kansas, and as a young child, they inspire, but they are quite dangerous to our economy. They can destroy all the work we've created over the months, farming, cultivating the land in just a matter of minutes. Parents remain quiet when a storm comes, because they know they are helpless to it all, and there's peace in that knowledge that something greater out there decides your destiny.
When my father was a little boy, he saw such a storm. He remembers the night as if it was yesterday where he watched a little old lady in her 70s standing by and weeping at a famous great oak tree that had withstood the test of time and been the spot for countless of love letters, promises, hopes and dreams of MONEY! LAND! FORTUNE! So let me quickly tell the story about this tree, much like the one I've shown here in my picture that I took yesterday while I was out driving the Kansas roads and falling in love all over again with my country and how this all ties to Splinterlands, because of course, you KNOW it must!
You see, the west was full of promise and those who wanted to capture a bit of it followed many trails. The one I'm speaking of today, actually where the picture you see was taken, is the Santa Fe Trail and on it was the Great Oak Tree. The Santa Fe Trail was a way in 1821 and beyond to get into Mexican territory. (In three weeks, the Santa Fe Trail will be celebrating 200 years in some small towns in Kansas there were right on that trail!) Many pioneers saw PROMISE in these new available lands and travelled across the sometimes hot and humid summers or the cold, bitter winters, depending upon the season of course, because they believed that collectively they could make a better future with this new land and new promise.
In little Council Grove, Kansas, there was (and is) a famous oak tree where the travelers on the trail would put their post--their letters, their stories of love, loss, fortune and promise, so that people would take those letters back east to their families. Can you IMAGINE what those pioneers would say about the internet today? WOW! The stories that tree must have seen. It's quite powerful (and if you're a romantic like me, it's quite magical and sentimental as well!)
Sadly, in the last 1950s or early 1960s, the Oak tree was struck by lightning, and my father happened to be camping as a little boy in the town. He was offered the chance to go see the damage, and he saw much of the tree had fallen, the older woman weeping and the significance of the loss of this precious monument that held so much promise of better days to come across the prairie. The tree eventually died, although they have kept the stump there for all to remember its importance to the trail and those pioneers and their families.
Picture found at: http://www.kansastravel.org/postoakmuseum.htm
I see Splinterlands this way--a sort of Santa Fe trail if you will-- but I worry too, because there is a difference creeping in I fear, and I pray that Splinterlands doesn't lose sight of that "tree of life" so to speak that keeps the game full of promise and opportunity.
The reason why the Santa Fe was such a successful venture, was because the trail was available for all. Much like Splinterlands, anyone could take this path to fortune and find great success, and many did. The economic status of the people didn't matter; there were wealthy families, and there were poor families all travelling together. Those people all had the same dream, but they knew THEY COULD ALL be successful no matter what. It wasn't a race to beat one family before the other. The people had their own vision, whether it was to be a farmer or a miner or perhaps run a mercantile or a bank, but they needed each other to win. They were literally successful BECAUSE of each other and this dream of fortune was open to all!
It's clear today that Crypto is the new trail to fortune and promise; but I hope we can remember in Splinterlands there are all types of players. It's important to remember some are playing the game who have amassed quite a fortune already, and yipppee to them! That's amazing and we commend you! However, please Splinterlands, do not forget the new players, the little novice like myself who wants very much to believe in the dream as well and has hopes of promise and fortune, but if I cannot compete because I do not have access to what's provided, then the dreams for all start to wane, and I feel that tree of life might also as well.
Therefore, this little post was just to inspire you Splinterlands players to keep following the trail to success. It's within your reach for sure! We can ALL have it, and I hope that Splinterlands will continue to remember the new players and find ways to reward them as well and encourage them to be a part of this big dream where we ALL WIN TOGETHER!
And so I will leave you with this-- Happy Trails to you!
If you enjoyed my post and want to try Splinterlands, please use my referral link: https://splinterlands.com?ref=rosiew
