8,899,561
That number holds some significance for me. As does this date. Because on that number is forever stored the moment that I joined my first blockchain, which due to a set of unfortunate circumstances, led me onto this blockchain.
7 Years
They say that the seven year cycle has some kind of life changing significance. That it somehow ties into the changing of the cells in our body, or some celestial shift, or just the general superstition that 7 is somehow special. Whatever it is, the seven year itch seems to be supported by statistics.
Statistics support the idea of a seven year itch. According to the most current figures available from the National Center for Health Statistics, the median duration of marriage was 7.2 years for couples who divorced in 1989 and 1990.
Coincidental or not, seven years is a fair amount of time to learn something, live something, and make an impact on something. I am not sure how much of an impact I have made, but I have learned a lot, and lived a lot in the last seven years, both on and off the blockchain. However, pretty much everything of significance in the last seven years has in some way impacted on my content creation, as I want my offering to be real, and something that perhaps people can pick through and learn from to improve their own experience, even if it is by going in a different direction.
The older I get, the more I want to be a positive force in the world, even if it is localized, and even if it isn't always appreciated. And sure, I get it wrong too, with unintended consequences of my actions doing the opposite of what I set out to do, or not having the outcome I had hoped for. At least, I want to be able to look in the mirror and say,
I tried.
Perhaps after seven years, relationships fail because they feel that they know each other well enough, that there is nothing more to discover - no mystery, no magic. But then, since we are always changing, perhaps this is just an assumption and if we were actually paying attention, we would find that what we thought we knew, is something quite different, and what we knew, is no longer so. It is like those people who talk about crypto with authority, even though they are using information from 2017, that they didn't fully comprehend to begin with.
I have tried to categorize Hive over the years, and tried to illustrate it in many ways, from the economic ecosystem, to the complexities of the community, but it is always lacking. Nothing quite encapsulates it. It is like observing light, it depends on how you look at it as to whether it acts like a wave or particle.
What I often find is, some people can only look at it from one perspective, which I see as a mistake. It is like the economists and tech nerds who say crypto has no value, because they are approaching it from their singular perspective, rather than as a combination of them. And then, they are completely omitting the community aspect of it, the human aspect, the cultural components. If they did, they would see it as far more robust than they do, but they are stuck in their ways.
One thing I believe when approaching Hive, is that it requires constant reevaluation and adjustment. It isn't a set and forget investment, nor experience, as it is always changing, there are always new opportunities, new ways to do things, new games to play, new people to play with.
So much to learn.
It is interesting to me that at almost 45 years of age, this is the longest I have ever been so engaged with something constantly. And, in the last seven years I have been involved in many parts of the ecosystem, and through good and bad, highs and lows. And, it has been captured here on the blockchain, so that perhaps one day, someone will chance upon something I have written, and benefit from it all over again.
This a long term investment.
It isn't just about the potential for financial value, it is also the value I feel from feeling like I am part of something I believe makes the world better, and has the potential to be so much more than it currently is. I believe that a lot of the problems in the world are being created because so many people have very little focus, consistent attention, or value-adding meaning in their world. Perhaps if they spent some time writing through their experience like some people do here, they would discover that they have a lot more to offer than they currently are giving. And, it would make them feel better to do so, even if it isn't the easiest thing to do.
7 Years
It is a long time.
But not that long.
There is further to go.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]