Hi FTG,
I had initially thought of DMing you, but my instinct and whatever else is driving this has me writing you an open letter instead! It must be the season for it I guess, and there have been o-n-e or two others whose writings on the subject have encouraged me along :). You voted and resteemed my recent letter to @berniesanders, which I take to indicate at least some endorsement of my POV and where I am coming from, perhaps even agreement with some of the speculations therein.
My intention is to speak my 'Truth' on this matter which, obviously, doesn't even concern me directly, but which I am taking (for me) BIG action on. It's kinda strange! I am, as I did in the letter to Bernie, putting aside self-doubts, reservations, blah blah. It's not so much about coming out unscathed, more like fear of talking shite :). Bernie didn't burn me at all, and, accurate or not, I get the sense that he read my post with a certain respect. I do not know, but I am pleased and grateful that he seemed to at least consider what I was trying to express.
I should repeat that I don't know shit! I don't know details, don't know what mutual baggage you guys may be carrying or what interactions may have enacted between you off-chain. If anything, these are simply high (or low)-level patterns that I am attempting to draw. I'm going with the flow, intentions and approach the same as they were for the letter to Bernie (evening thoughts flowing into a night-time draft; expanded and polished the following day), except this time I don't have a sense of walking on eggshells :). This is unplanned btw, courage taken from first letter sure, but the thoughts formulated themselves and Energy drove my fingers to the keyboard. I won't bother predicting a 'concise' post this time LOL, it ain't so!
I'd like to start off by saying that regarding Bernie, I do not think that the primary driver is Greed. In the current situation between you, it seems more like he's winding you up with talk and actions of self voting, bid botting etc, removing votes from followers and blaming you for it. I mean, it looks more like a game atm. The rest of the Berniverse seems to me to be more about (acquiring/wielding?) 'power' than actual wealth accumulation (which may be no more than a tool for the above). I'm not judging Bernie, here's what I said in my letter to him:
"I personally do not know you or your intentions. You do seem to like 'power' of some kind or another, and can choose to be obnoxious when you want - as you said somewhere "I can take criticism, but I choose not to!" I use the word 'power' because you have enough 'wealth' to make further accumulation a potentially dull exercise of number churning. I mean, at almost 1000 SP (200 currently stuck in Binance), I consider myself to be totally in the clear because when crypto shoots (as it will), what I have will be more than sufficient, although of course it'll keep accumulating. For someone like you, the numbers become kinda meaningless, so what's left over to desire?"
I also said that I was surprised at how passionate your reaction to project 'x' was. I speculated about it:
"This is a human drama between you guys, entertainment for some, but real feelings for the protagonists! In my self-licensed speculation/projection fest, I consider FTG's strength of feeling to stem from the approach of using his stake to benefit all; the time and energy and emotion that has gone into this for him; and now, having become a witness, an even greater sense of responsibility (and pressure) to right wrongs - all this powerfully embedded within a deep sense of Divine Providence. His is also a Very Big Plate! Perhaps there are elements of over-responsibility in presenting himself as the cleanup man, I can see that."
So you stamped your feet in public, Rumplestiltskinesque, and I witnessed a side to FTG I hadn't seen before. I understand your actions to take place within the above quoted context (my speculations). The current round of - what shall I call it? I mean, there are strong elements of schoolboy digs at each other - has no bearing on what you have already done for the community or the energy of PIF that you set in motion, nor (for me anyway) the standing and respect that you already have. Perhaps seeing you express yourself like this bumps you back down to the human realm somewhat, it means that you are more than the fuzzy luminous Saint-figure which I think some were beginning to consider you to be LOL. Of course it also shows that you care deeply!
For anyone (is there any such one?) unfamiliar with the concept of 'Pay It Forward' as per FTG, here's his post on the subject, and here is the dtube video (still works :): .
I will now speak even more freely, please forgive any over-reachings on my part, my intentions are clear.
It's not just the PIF stuff that is so appealing about the 'FTG' - now not such a? - mythological figure in the Steemniverse! It is the places where you direct your energies - the dark, languishing corners of the Human Heart and the Pit of Humanity's Collective Traumas - raising awareness and setting in motions collaborative and foundational cogwheels of a New Paradigm. It's fucking ACE work that you do FTG, and you have clout and connection, which makes it far-reaching too. It's not merely impressive, these ARE the mechanics of revolution!
Are these above not the wrongs that have the highest priority to be righted ? What's the goal - a world that is free of Abuse or a world where all the abusers are tortured and executed - ground up or top down? In the Land of Utopia, what meaning does 'Liberation' have when 'Bondage' is no longer even a thing ? The priority in this fight is the core is it not? - the wound that is continuously kept festering by the agency of Dark and Predatory energies at their highest. Manifestations of greed, self-serving behaviour on Steem and all the other blah blahs that are so getting your goat atm are details, symptoms - they are already out of the box. Are you going to spend your energies trying to stuff them back in? They cannot be controlled, not by you, not by any amount of SP. But they can be influenced - altered, transformed through example.
Nobody can control another unless they let it happen, and we cannot right wrongs in this manner! I think The Lesson to draw from the flag wars of antiquity (ie haejin :) is simply that Force/Violence Does Not Work - have to hand it to @wwf on this one! If the same energy that sounded that initial battle cry of 'Slay The Troll' is currently running through your veins, then this is worth (re)considering IMHO.
But I am safe and unburdened in my little bubble of nobody-ness. I have no idea what'll work, no practical suggestions to make. You have broad shoulders and already know what to do. However, in my opinion (and I do love and respect you Brah :), in this current engagement you are utilising your time and energy trying to mould and shape stuff which lies on (or beyond) the periphery, stuff you cannot control, and which, in trying to control, you are depleting your own Energies!
I really think that BS (Bernie) - in spite of the BS (BullShit - sorry Bernie, but this is true in part) and the BS (Belief Systems), is not the enemy!
Thanks for reading 🔆.
A word or two on the Flat Earth buzz, and a Message to all those who were happy to throw tomatoes and eggs from the roadside:
I acknowledge that 'Flat Earth' has been used as a cheap and easy shot at FTG. Here's what I said in the letter to Bernie:
"Sure it is an easy dig at FTG for you and followers, an easy looking derision-milker that many are supping gleefully from. I'm not a Flat-Earther myself and would've dismissed it outright a few years ago. However, I did look into it and, as with 9-11, the only clear sense I came away with was that the official story we have been 'told' (or sold) is full of holes. This means I don't consider myself to know what the objective 'Truth' is and, even if I don't accept FE as literally so, I can thank it for opening a doorway. It's pretty fascinating to have Belief Systems (another BS :) toppled - I've had many go down and they continue to pop!"
I'm not drawing attention to the responses themselves; the issue did inspire some artistic renditions and even an 'expedition', which discovered an edge and a curve! However, I thought some of the sentiment to be ugly, most especially the sight of people gleefully spitting on the 'perceived' adversary in order to gain favour of the 'king'. There may not be many such tomato-throwers who will be reading this, and I guess many will have jumped on this particular bandwagon without seeing the larger context, perhaps an easy means of getting some free "hey look at me" attention at another's expense.
Alright, fair enough, some fun has been had and a few laughs besides. No real harm done actually, and I'm sure FTG will have had to fight his corner on this in the past, and that his skin is thick enough and conviction strong enough. But the question to really ask oneself (if one gives a shit about such things that is :), is how do you know what you know? And I mean anything at all? Is it coz someone said that it is so? Coz you read or heard it discussed by 'experts' somewhere? Heard it from a good source? But is there any direct knowledge there? I'm not just talking about the shape of the Earth here, it is the same with all received 'knowledge'. How are you able to know anything? A person doesn't come facetiously to accept a theory like FE, and certainly not without walking through cracks which open up when received knowledge-based Belief Systems (the BS) are challenged and holes are found which lead to places lying beyond the Veil of Illusion. Before making fun of Travelers and Adventurers (whichever lands they may be visiting), have you ever bothered to consider where you stand with regard to what you know and how you know it? Have you experienced walking through such a Gate? Just sayin', perhaps a little forcefully, but you are free to dismiss this. You always have a choice to remain asleep, or to wake up to the bullshit that you have likely adopted as your own :). I'm no better or worse btw!
Anyway, continuing on a lighter note: should you feel bad about the issue, able to see that FTG is entitled to his view on FE, just as you are to your own (if unexamined, most likely to be false) Belief Systems; and should you wish to atone in some manner, why not internally consider the question "How it is that you KNOW that the earth is round", without recourse to what someone else has said. If this leaves you (as it does me) with the thought 'fuck, how can I verify anything if I exclude external sources, including what anyone else has said?', well, maybe that's an indication of how much you actually DO know. I don't think this issue is really about any particular belief, it seems more to do with the validity or not of Belief Systems in general. This is also a highly personal matter, should you consider such things a priority in life!
