The bottom line for me is that I will post online for no money because I have a mission to achieve. The decent payouts of the past that may possibly return are a motive to stay and built this platform. I am an engineer and from a technical standpoint I still see great potential here - it's just a question of how the challenges get solved (or not). Voice and EOS are the closest to a competitor I see at this point and they are ditching the anonymity and attempt at decentralisation... so.. for now I will keep supporting Steem.

Perhaps this was one big grand experiment that was doomed to fail from the beginning because it requires people to be honest and vote quality instead of following money.

Ultimately, if the continuation of life is one of the aims of a society, then I am tempted to apply your quote to the use of capitalism by society too. There's a reason why many anarchists view anarcho capitalism as the antithesis to actual anarchy. We shall see!

You are welcome. One thing is for sure, many here will continue to try to make this platform a place that you can always return to if you choose.

Wishing you well aswell!