Motivation is the need or reason for doing something
Love bears, but not like this....
In the meme, the motivation for the cyclist to peddle as fast as possible, no matter how grueling, is the knowledge that the bear will (almost certainly) rip him to shreds should it catch up to him. The motive is survival. The fuel is fear.
As soon as he became aware of the bear, it probably didn't take long (a couple of heartbeats) before a powerful set of emotions would have formed within the cyclist in recognition of a salient truth.....I will die if that bear catches me. Such a powerful truth, inspiring equally powerfully feelings, demanding immediate action. Flight. Get away from the bear at all costs. Thank you evolution.
In this situation, every Steemer would behave like the cyclist. What's that? It's a bear. Bear's coming at me. Go now. Fast. Faster. Don't stop. Until on a plane.
Why is what motivates a Steemer important and how does the question relate to Steemit and the Steem economy?
I think it's important because how can we achieve the "right" level of motivation unless we think about why we are here, what we are engaging for and why Steemit? How can we accept and work through challenges without first thinking about our goals as individuals, members of a community, society or species?
I'm not saying that immediate goals do not provide superb motivation, nor that Steemers have not already thought long and hard about this new platform. In fact, a large percentage of content on Steemit is dedicated to unraveling the scope and potential of the Steem economy and it's tools.
But I wanted to discuss an idea. It's not a new idea, certainly not mine....but one that is deeper and potentially more powerful than all the others combined. The idea is that human beings can co-exist in peace on this planet. That any problem has a solution, especially when we are free to make the most out of our resources and free to implement them. The most important systems we build, those that underpin and measure all of our interactions, are flawed. It doesn't matter if that is intentional or not, the fact is, over time, systemic weaknesses are exploited and the results follow a terrible pattern. Slavery, war, environmental destruction and death. Over and over.
Technology has reached a point now where if we embrace it as a species, we have the potential to usher in a new age of systemic stability and peace. Decentralised communication, storage, information, money and energy. Steemit is an experimental manifestation of several of these critical technological breakthroughs. It is a bold attempt to help make the world a better place for everyone who would live free and peacefully. All it will take to succeed is us.
What motivates Steemers? All the good stuff like making some money, maybe even getting rich, communicating with each other, building communities, building useful tools and building an economy. All these things are important and valuable on their own, but what provides that deeper motivation to succeed? What salient truths will keep Steemit from being ripped to shreds? Or keep us peddling hard, even when our muscles are screaming from fatigue and our brains are weary of obstacles? The idea that we can do a lot better, for ourselves, for each other and for future generations. Together we can escape the bear......we already know what happens if we fail.
Happy Steeming.