Pretty amazing contrast between the gold of the autumn birch leaves and the blue of the sky isn't it? I took the picture a few minutes ago as my daughter and I walked back from her daycare. I like the contrasts in things, the various positions and perspectives that balance the imagery. It is part of the reason I enjoy Steem.
One of the massive potentials we have on Steem is the ability to be part of the conversation that could lead to new forms of governance, new ways to organize ourselves and satisfy our needs globally using technological tools. These tools regardless of whether Steem or hundreds of other versions are here to stay for this reason as there is no time before that such precision and spread has been possible.
While governments flounder to manage a small amount of citizens and the resources distribution required, we are here working out solutions for potentially billions of people and, all of the resources required. The tokenization of the world that many predict is because of this. It is happening already and we who are here now are part of that process as we negotiate the challenges a large ecosystem faces in the relative controlled environment of a microcosm version.
This is no small thing to scoff at and I think that once people realise the ramifications of solving some of these issues, more people will take it all a lot more seriously and join into the discussions. There are the little things like transferring funds or paying daily bills but there are also the larger aspects like voting rights of citizens and security of information. It is just a ledger system but the way and where it is applied can have large consequences in our daily experiences.
There are risks of course as the very strength of the blockchain information is also a potential weakness that could be used to control and enslave. But, this not necessarily the outcome by any measure but increases in likelihood the fewer people are involved in the decision making as even the best intentioned will begin to favor their position and benefit over others and in time, it leads to massive inequalities as we have now and eventual system breakages, as we have now.
The trick here is to learn from what doesn't work and keep experimenting, getting feedback and experimenting again. In large centralized systems this process is very slow and incredibly expensive to implement as well as difficult to change. For example, if we look at the voting processes in the US alone we can see the lack of will from some parts to not make it easier. Essentially a blockchain voting system solves availability, resources and income issues immediately. How hard is it to implement? Not very but it still needs to be approved by people who's position would be harmed by having all available easily to vote in the system.
For us here though we have a chance to negotiate and discuss openly and in good faith about a whole range of these issues and potentially find solutions that can be adopted in real world scenarios. One small country can run a trial for elections, another through their medical records or billing systems and soon, things start to snowball very quickly.
At this point and perhaps for all time, there is no 'correct', but there can be the best we can do at this time given the resources available. That is a big factor when it comes to development as it is not what you have, it is what you are able to do with what you have. The blockchain is just a tool that can be utilized for various purposes and what we choose to use it for will determine what it will likely be used for in the next instance.
We are in the foundational stages and as more and more people take interest, there will be greater innovation and distribution of ideas concerning how to use it. It is at this point that mainstreaming truly takes hold and the early adopter thinkers create more tools for the bandwagon jumpers to use and benefit from. We are laying the foundations now and even if we aren't directly part of the conversation, the way we behave becomes part of the feedback loop that directs what is spoken about.
I never expect anyone to agree with me here and perhaps even though it would make my life easier, it wouldn't be what I want unless my thinking is sound enough to influence the next sentences o the conversation. If I am mistaken in my understanding however, it should be questioned so that it doesn't run the risk of becoming part of the building.
People complain about everything on Steem and always will but up until now, I have found that this is the most engaged I have ever been of any community I have ever been a member. If anyone spends anytime following some of the conversations here they will find that there area some pretty incredible people in this world who are working toward something larger than themselves together, even when they don't agree.
The entire blockchain industry will facilitate these kinds of conversations on all manner of topics globally in a way where the learning available from the discussions will be able to be used to make fundamental changes to the way we manage ourselves, interact with others and experience our lives.
The goal is to improve on what that experience is currently. We are all stakeholders in our experience which means, we should probably all take some interest in the conversations and developments that influence it.
Taraz
[ a Steem original ]