Joining 
Have you also been told off for leaving a comment without upvoting? I don’t know how another passer-by can tell whether you have or have not voted - where has anonymity in this private affair gone, I ask myself - but I always like to presume that these vilified ones have no voting power left, but still plenty of animo to keep on discovering your brilliant posts. Isn’t that worth a round of applause, at least?
But no. They get an earful, instead. “How dare you comment without upvoting!”. Don’t forget, you can’t just save up all those you would have liked to have given you 0.01 steem to for the following day: that would mean keeping track with pencil and notebook or a complex excell sheet. Impossibly, while the posts keep on steam rolling by....
Would they rather have wanted the fellow Steemian to have passed the blog by just because they do not come bearing gifts? Then again, aren’t well-meaning thoughts not gifts!?
I became this indignant after reading a perfectly pleasant comment by someone, who got a reply to their reply with a downright rejection of their innocent intentions. Or so I'd like to presume till proven otherwise. (And even then, so what?) The fact that this person invited the other to check out their own blog was not misplaced either, in my opinion, since it was in response to a request to share enthusiasm on the topic.
I hope we can all manage not to get our knickers in too tight a twist and leave eachother alone a bit, to browse at our leisure, hazzard an exchange, often as a memo-to-self, or an affirmation, not even seeking out a reply. Even if it had been a critical (but weighed) thought, it shouldn’t be a problem with this open mike policy we have here.
I personally feel comments outweigh votes any time. I can’t stand getting a bunch of votes by bots or a surge of crypto interest, on Friday night (usually) when I know none of them even did more than glance at the post - if even that. I suppose they work out their profit margins with charts, statistics, programmes. I have no idea, but I know r-bot, or nrose123 or rougebot are none the wiser on matters of education thanks to my post. It approximates prostitution, I sometimes think.
I am not charmed by people pushing their needs on me, either. An invitation to like them because the liked me (during all of those 5 seconds they took to be here) won’t wash with me. But how stressed can you get about attention that doesn’t pay up?! What about the lasting impression you managed to leave on someone? The difference to their day? What ARE you actually posting for? I think your lack of gratitude for the time and presence of this visitor betrays less rather than more commitment to Steemit and shows you up as a slave to the system. That's my thought, which no doubt won't count for anything.
Funny thing was, though, it wasn’t even the host who criticised the poor (steemless) commenter, but another commenter! Talk about vigilantism (on behalf of …. Who actually?). Talk about wishing everybody the best, granting them their freedom of speech (emphasis on free), that general mood we pretend to uphold here on Steemit. There is some kind of resentment at work. Or some kind of envy? Of people getting away with something, of breaking some pre-arrangement to make life easier on themselves, to gain an advantage? I don't know, I can't see it that way.
In advance then, my dear Steemians, I apologise for all my worthless votes, should I get carried away and put in the hours to trace your history or check out your friends and end up with nothing but good intentions to reach out with.
I now know it feels to you like coming to the party without a bottle but drinking up all your plonk all the same.
This afternoon, the eerie sensation came over me that there are some egos here with messianic aspirations. That’s the whole problem with having followers or even disciples (instead of friends). It raises your rank and esteem to a level of importance that takes over your compassionate and generous nature, which I’m sure lies waiting for your roaring lion to go back to sleep.
