It is Independence Day in Finland today, the 101st year for the country to stand on its own two feet without having someone to rule over it. Interestingly, while lat year was the centennial celebration of gaining independence fro Russian rule, this year is the centenary of the civil war that ensued directly after, no one seems to be interested in celebrating that piece of history though.
What I wonder as a non-historian type of person is, which event had greater impact on future Finland?
I can't adequately answer but I would posit that the civil war that faced Finn against Finn had more of a fundamental effect on the culture of the country going forward than independence from Russia would have had. The independence itself would have been the catalyst for a drive to build the identity of the nation, a violent negotiation between parties about what would be done with the newfound freedom obtained.
This is quite a large topic that historians and philosophers can pore over but if we brought it down to a more basic form, maybe it is more usable. For example, a child living with parents has learned various habits and considerations but as they start to explore their own self, who they are as an individual they could hear, "while under my roof, my rules" from their parents. This seems somewhat acceptable doesn't it?
THe, "While in this country you have to act by our rules" seems to be presented often enough while the want for diversity of thought and innovation is also desired.
Once outside and on their own of course, the child has independence, they have their own roof. No one forces them to clean a room, eat a healthy meal or make sure their homework is done. For many though, they might still be living off their parents money to some degree, is this independence or are they still under their parent's roof to some extent? Does the parent have sway on behavior due to economic control and debt? Is it the parent's responsibility to relinquish control or the child's to seize it?
Perhaps on Steem, this is where we are now, maybe it is where we have always been. Steem has quite a lot of similarities to a civil war or a parental control structure. While we talk about independence we simultaneously want Steemit Inc to keep paying for the roof over our head. They themselves have made this more complicated due to the way the foundation of Steem-country was created as essentially they took a massive amount of resources for themselves that would obviously have affects on the future of all within the boundaries and, the way those boundaries are able to expand into new areas or draw in new citizens.
We do tend to spend a great deal of time in civil war though and much like all wars, economic considerations are the largest driver of activity. It is interesting really that so much of the culture we develop is driven by economy while trying to break free from the limitations of economy at a philosophical level. It isn't about the money, but I act on what makes me the most.
At the moment, people are calling for the opening of Steemit Inc's books, something that I agree and disagree with on various points. I do not think that at a public level it is a good idea though as for the most part, while some might, people do not have a good enough understanding of business to see the larger picture, whatever they might be. And, I am sure that most people aren't going to reveal their true selves to sign an enforceable non-disclosure agreement. What we do know is that they are a private company and don't have to open their books to a decentralized community to satisfy curiosity that has enough people within it who are more interested in lighting fires than building foundations.
So, what is the path forward from these points. Do we go to war with each other to work out what we are going to do with the next year, two, 100? In the case of Finland, people still hold various sentiments about a war they were never directly a part of. Does the child have to destroy the parent's to find their way in the world as an individual or, do they just have to change the practices they have learned and become self-reliant based on their own skillset and opportunities?
There are many difficulties and challenges to face when trying to get all the Steem ducks in a row and this is made more difficult when to get what we want. we also have to find a way to finance development in a whole range of various ways. We have been largely reliant on Steemit Inc to subsidize our rent and as we recognize that it is not going to last at the levels they have been doing it, it is natural to panic since the financial models of many projects are reliant on the parent to pay the grocery bills.
I have mentioned that for me raising my daughter, I am trying to make myself increasingly redundant in her life as I want her to be independent and self-reliant to a high degree so that she has control over her life. It is not easy, even at this age as the ability to influence her to behave as I want is very high. Of course, I have to support her to a high degree also which is going to be affected by my own habits and prejudices as well as resources. Parenting comes with a high degree of complexity too, if attentive that is.
As I see Steem, we are still very much in the development stages of the ecosystem within an industry that itself is still largely undefined without an identity or clear structure. It is therefore natural that there are going to be a high level of growing pains and conflicts as we as a group of groups and a larger group within an environment of many other groups try to find our way while still being under the various roofs of authority control. Then, we are also individuals within all of these groups trying to satisfy our own personal needs and wants to create a space for individual independence. It is pretty messy.
Anyway, there are a lot of points in here that require a great deal more thought than I can give them at the moment in my current state, but I will hopefully either get back them later or perhaps, others will too. For me though, this is an interesting time in Steem's future history as it is likely the point that will define that future heavily.
Taraz
[ a Steem original ]
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