When the Community Feels Different
There are days when my mind carries a thousand thoughts, yet the moment I sit down to put them on paper, a strange fear creeps in. Will I be able to express myself the way I intend to… eloquently? Will the reader truly understand not just my words, but the feeling behind them?
The truth is, no reader ever understands a writer’s thoughts a full hundred percent. Even the most celebrated authors leave behind pockets of ambiguity, no matter how many times their books are read.
And well… I’m neither famous nor an “author.”
But what I am feeling on Steemit lately is a kind of restlessness. Personally, before writing any post, I feel this heaviness — that I’m not commenting enough, not engaging enough. The very thing this community thrives on — networking — feels like it’s slipping. If I talk about myself, there are multiple reasons. It’s as if my perspective on life has shifted these past weeks. I can’t tell what’s right, what’s wrong, or even why I feel this way. Life is smooth on the outside… but then something inside keeps asking, Really?
The biggest trigger, I now realize, was the Pak–India skirmishes. They rattled me — truly, deeply. Then a couple of other incidents layered themselves on top of that. But it isn’t just that.
Some of my dear friends on Steemit have drifted away too — chriddi, @the-gorilla, @o1eh… each with their own reasons. Some are Steemit-related. The issues on the platform — especially voting power abuse — have robbed it of the spark it once had. And then there’s the minimal interaction from sc01 and sc02. I genuinely used to enjoy their quizzes, even their scolding comments directed at some users. It felt lively. It felt like someone owned the space.
Now, that feeling is fading.
And once that feeling disappears… the ship starts sinking.
And on top of all this, the Steem token price… I’m no expert, but maybe it will rise again. Bitcoin and all major cryptocurrencies have taken a dip. Again — I’m no expert. Maybe this has also contributed to the mood on Steemit lately.
But the biggest factor remains the drifting away of the good people — the people who cared.
As @chriddi always said:
Burnout.
It was inevitable, one way or another.
Then there are a couple of things we simply cannot ignore. One of our developers/ witnesses took the hit for being friendly with someone, trusting her with accounts. I don’t know the full details, and I am no one to comment… but when people look up to you, they try to justify your every action somewhere in their minds.
Same happened to me.
But what unfolded after that… it left a bitter taste. I was never about “justice” or “fairness,” but when you see trust, dignity, and passion being trampled so casually, it affects you. Deeply. It settles somewhere inside — heavy.
Today, with great difficulty, I sat down to write all of this.
I can’t just go about posting like nothing happened — because it did. And things do affect me: my writing, my mindset. Not that anyone cares, but then again… this is my digital diary. And I want to record these feelings, whatever they are.
And I also want to take this moment to say thank you to @weisser-rabe — for still keeping this space feeling like home. A place where I can come and say things honestly, without pretending. Please never stop writing or disappear altogether… however seldom you may show up. Some presences just matter.
And today, I came across something that sat with me so deeply I couldn’t shake it off. It said that humans are always torn — between love and detachment, solitude and company, wanting everything yet wanting nothing at all.
Another line called us “emotional pendulums,” forever swinging between extremes. And isn’t that painfully true? This duality of existence… this tug-of-war within ourselves… maybe that’s exactly what I’m feeling too...
It made me realise that this uneasiness, this restlessness, isn’t just limited to Steemit! It spans the life events — it’s also about being human, caught between contradictions we don’t always know how to navigate...
Steemit has gone through several stages. The one you knew when you arrived is nothing like what it was in 2018, for example, when there was intense activity from different projects and curator accounts, all of whom later left, and it dwindled to just two large curator accounts, although other communities like rme's still exist.
What I mean is that things change, and they change again...
I admit that beyond Steemit, these changes sometimes frighten me. I tend to associate stability with security, with comfort... but deep down I long for positive changes, even though these can be scary.
In my opinion, there's no other option but to be brave.
I'm also very emotional, sometimes even tearful, and that feeling envelops me and I feel like a child, but then I understand that I must try to turn the ashes into something beautiful, even though at first it feels like an uphill battle...
Anyway, keep writing, here on Steemit, in your journals, wherever, but keep going. This might be a way to find the paths you're looking for.
Blessings to you.
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You’re so right — change is really at the heart of everything, isn’t it? Our minds, our bodies, our priorities… nothing stays still. And yes, people come and go here on Steemit too, and whether we admit it or not, it does shape our experiences and even our moods.
But like you said, the only way forward is with a bit of courage. Even when things feel uncertain or a little overwhelming, we keep showing up, we keep creating, we keep turning those “ashes” into something meaningful.
And honestly, this community… it is something special. It still feels like a place worth returning to, worth contributing to, worth holding on to in our own ways.
Thank you for the reminder, and for the comfort in your words.
We keep writing. We keep going...
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I'm here. Come by whenever you feel like it.
Yes, there are more important things than Steem. But it can be part of the whole, it can play the role you give it. Steem is you. And me. And everyone here. Like you, I miss good people, whom I naturally cannot blame for leaving. What I don't miss is the feeling that Steem is owned by someone. That is precisely the great opportunity that lies in this project.
If Steem goes under for all the people who showed up here with the wrong expectations, then it will offer space for us again... ;-))
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Yup yup… I get exactly what you mean.
And when I said “owning,” I didn’t mean it in the sense of challenging how centralized the platform is or how it functions. What I meant was that feeling you get for a place you genuinely care about — the way it becomes part of your daily rhythm, your thoughts, your little world.
You’re right: Steem is you, and me, and whoever chooses to stay. People leave, and we can’t blame them, but the space they once filled still leaves an echo. And maybe that’s why it hits harder sometimes.
But yes… if Steem sheds those who came with the wrong expectations, maybe that’s exactly when it opens up again for the people who actually value it, who see it as more than numbers.
Much 💕
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Maybe we should try some quizzes again...
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That's a really good idea :)
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I'm actually guilty when it comes to engagement on steemit. Even posting has reduced. The vibes is no longer there as it use to be.
I didn't know about this. I'm just hearing it for the first time.
Our one and only @weisser-rabe (white raven ) anything that makes her fly away, I'll have to climb her back to fly with me... I just hope her wings is strong enough. Lol.
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Argh... White ravens are stubborn. They don't let themselves be chased away by a few idiots, they don't do this today and that tomorrow. White ravens have friends who are just the same ;-))
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