@omitaylor,

I agree with @tcpolymath. This is a great comment. In fact, I'll go further to say that the two or three comments on this page that I've read so far by you, are the comments I've related to most of all I've ever read by you. I hope that makes sense. ;)

I'm glad I came across your comments here that explain the non-judgement of blockchain activity as per the whitepaper. Your explanation provides the logic for something I've intuitively felt whenever I come across discussions about self voting.

I'm mostly neutral about self voting because I generally feel that everyone basically does the best they can, within the context of how they feel about themselves, their beliefs and emotional triggers and what they feel is safe and helpful to how they value and see themselves and how others see them in their world.

People usually act in ways that they feel will benefit themselves mostly and then others. Whether benefits from those actions are labeled karma, respect from and/or acceptance by others or self love, the actions,  which are only the result of beliefs and emotions and chosen intentionality as per values, spring forth to reflect the inner.

Being self righteous about not upvoting myself and judging others who do upvote themselves is mostly a reflection about me. How I think, feel and then behave. It's also a tell about who I want to impress most... myself, other people?... and why.... valuing or hating myself, need for love, acceptance, doing 'right' thing, being part of community.... ad infinitum.

Perhaps most importantly, it also spotlights what most motivates me and colors my world... the base foundational essence of how Life works to me... fear and lack vs love and abundance.

To be truly independent and free, it's probably a good idea to be as unattached as possible to what other people think, feel and do in response to who we are and how we each express that.

But that's now about to get in to the weeds of social control used in most time/space dimensions. And I still have to catch up on posts and comments and life from Saturday onwards. ;)

Anyhoo, I only wanted to thank you for being so clear on explaining the importance of activity on the blockchain. An example of which is excerpted here from one of your other comments on this thread:

>As far as habitat and protocol is concerned, Steem blockchain "judges" activity — selfish and selfless alike — as positive activity and "judges" inactivity — selfish and unselfish alike — as negative activity.

That seems to say it all. Period. Full stop. End of story. Is this all just, still, a story about humans needing to control? Others? Self?

Thanks, Omi.