So much truth. Steem is a social experiment that is mostly about "heuristic learning, trial and error and practical application and observation." That describes it beautifully. And if you understand that one thing, it will give you (the average person, or perhaps some collection of fairly level-headed people) the patience to withstand the highs and lows and the sometimes bizarre behaviors of others.

I think for some people, understanding Steem and its benefits and best practices is not even a goal. They are either happy or happily malcontent in their approach and will behave emotionally first and assess the results later. Or not. Some people demonstrate what the world would be like if bots had emotions. I'm a hater and I'm stuck on annihilate! Look out!

It is good for everyone to recognize that no matter how much stake someone has, it does not make them an authority on how the system operates at a functional level. It also doesn't indicate their intelligence, looks, decision making ability or whether they have the ability to control their emotions.

The challenge in a decentralized system is knowing how to find a high-quality learning path and to find mentors that will steer you in the right direction. Your opening statement resonated with me. People should know better. But it's far easier not to. It's a relatively simple matter to show up here on the blockchain with all of your inherent traits, your social skills and intelligence, or lack thereof, and do what seems right to you at the time, which may or may not be fruitful in any way. (One of my New Years' resolutions is to really study Steem. I still can't explain it very well after two and a half years. Tisk tisk!)

But let's say you don't really understand it. Let's say you're new, or the math is hard to comprehend (looks in mirror), or you're psychologically stuck at HF10 (or evolutionally stuck at cro-magnon). It's still not hard to at least try to do the right thing. Use upvotes to reward good content. If you see abuses of Steem, go ahead and exercise your right to downvote and help to level the playing field, if you so choose. And be a team player. Look for great bloggers and curate their content. Just don't be a dick. Well said, @tarazkp.