When I joined Steemit over a year ago, it was very different than it is now. The interface was rough and simplistic and most of the features we love didn't exist. Heck, we couldn't even collect any money yet! @onceuponatime had just introduced me to the platform and insisted that I start an account and help with the early beta testing. The concept sounded fantastic and I was happy to pitch-in so I sat down and opened an account... hmm... what name should I use here? Something funny? Something simple? I considered what my role might be in the community and what value I might be able to offer. I was already passionate about introducing people to bitcoin and helping them get into the cryptosphere so maybe I could use this new platform as a tool for that... That's it, I'll help newbies get into the exciting world of cryptocurrency by greeting them and helping them get comfortable using Steemit. I'll be a helpful servant of the community and once it has developed to the point where I'm no longer needed, I'll shed that role and become my next favorite thing... what is that next role? The name is a clue.
The Pied Piper of Hamelin is an old story with many different versions to be found across multiple cultures. The most popular of which is simply about a wandering musician that appears in town one day to offer his assistance. The town is suffering from a rat infestation and the residents are desperate for a solution. The piper claims to be able to purge the rats from their town and the townsfolk agree to pay him a vast sum of money if he can deliver on his promise. They don't really believe he can do it so they don't think that they're actually at risk of having to pay the fee. They're wrong. He does as he claims and leads all the rats out of town by luring them away with an entrancing song. Rather than honoring the agreement, the mayor refuses to pay. The piper warns that he will not accept being scammed like that without exacting compensation by other means but the townsfolk pay him no mind.
The piper leaves and the townsfolk believe they have succeeded in their fraud but their celebration is soon cut short when they notice their children gathering outside. Every child in town leaves their home and runs out to gather around the piper, who is playing another song. Some versions of the story explain that the children had been neglected and abused by their parents, which made them more willing to follow the kindly stranger but whatever the reason, just as the rats had done earlier, the children follow the piper out of town and they all disappear into a cave. A large stone seals them inside and the townsfolk are overcome with grief. One child, who was limping because of a broken leg, was unable to keep up with the other children and so was shut out with the rest of the parents. The adults asked him why they had left town with the piper and the child answered through sobs of despair, "his song told told of a better place where we could all be happy again." Different versions have different spins on this but the basic theme remains pretty consistent. One version I found even explains that the piper had taken the time to talk with the children beforehand and listen to them such as their parents would not. In that version, it could be interpreted that he was merely demonstrating a better way of life and they followed him away because of that and not because of any "magic." Personally, I tend to think that the word "magic" is usually just used as a way of referring to science and reason that are not understood.
The townsfolk were oblivious to the damage they were doing to their own children and to the community as a whole. By defrauding the piper, they were demonstrating their severe carelessness, irresponsibility, lack of integrity and disregard for virtue, which must have also manifested in how they treated their children. If they were willing to abuse an adult like the piper, imagine how much more they must have been willing to abuse those that can't defend themselves... So the townsfolk learned a costly lesson. Many people over-simplify it by saying "pay the piper" or "pay your debts" or "do what you say you will" but it's more than that. It's a serious warning.
If we want to live in a healthy, high-trust community, we have to be the embodiment of everything we wish our neighbors to be. It's another spin on the golden rule with emphasis on the consequences for one's dishonor. It's not about behaving in such a way to avoid the wrath of others, it's about living in such a way that doesn't drive those you care about away. Would the children of Hamelin be so easily seduced by the piper if their parents were caring, attentive, and honorable? Would the promise of a better place be so alluring if their own community weren't so rotten?
So why did I choose this character as a screen name here on Steemit? In the platforms early days, I decided to play the role of a helper. A greeter. Someone to assist the people of the community with their problems. I did that and it was a blast but now, the site has grow immensely and I don't believe I'm needed in that capacity anymore. At least not the way that I had been doing the job from the beginning. Pied Piper, the cheery guide with the white background has played his part and I feel that it's time to morph into the next role of the story... and he's not all sunshine and rainbows. Those who know me know that I have high standards for virtue and strength of character and very little patience for abuse and degeneracy. I'm a community builder, gathering high-caliber people to a real estate development here in Chile were we intend to demonstrate what a real, high-quality community really looks like. This occupation has honed my sensitivity for bullshit and if I can employ these traits in the service of Steemit, I'll be satisfied that my time here isn't wasted. I strongly believe in improving every place we inhabit so it will be my honor and privilege to continue assisting this platforms development towards becoming the sort of place that can shine like a beacon throughout cyberspace, demonstrating what the future can look like and showcasing the characters behind its construction. We're pioneers here in cyberspace just as I and my partners at Fort Galt are in physical reality. As we succeed, people will look ever more to us as ambassadors and when they do, what will they see? Another MySpace or FaceBook full of bickering losers or a shining city on the hill worth joining, supporting, and emulating?
I'm casting diplomacy and political correctness to the wind and will be proceeding henceforth with as much raw and discomforting honesty as I can muster. The time for coddling has passed and I know that a lot of us are ready to have some seriously productive discussions here about the sort of personal development that's difficult and unpopular. The sort that doesn't sell any bullshit newsletters or books but it does reveal weakness, cowardice, and dishonesty while inviting us to remedy root problems rather than dressing them up and ignoring them. If you're only here for feel-good fluff, then you will probably not enjoy a lot of my content to come... but if you're sick of sugar and are looking for some gasoline and matches, then connect with me here and let's get down to business. Hamelin is in for some hard times and if we care about her, we need to become worthy champions that uphold her honor when others would drag it carelessly through the mud.
The first year of Steemit has been a magical one but it still has yet to go mainstream. The establishment doesn't seem to be aware of it yet and resistance has yet to be encountered so... as exciting as it has been, we're just getting warmed up and really big shit is still up ahead. I look forward to rising to meet it all with you and I'm looking forward to one hell of a second year.