I believe that sooner or later publishing quality content in #HIVE pays you for the effort you have put into it.

That is the only way I believe.

People come and go, it has been like that forever and that is fine, this is how it should be. It's a decentralized platform, you do what you want as long as you respect the rules. Cheaters and low effort content creators won't stay anyway.

I think (and this is a personal opinion) that many think there is more money to be made in curating than in posting. Or at least it is easier.

I have a slightly different opinion on that. To reach a level at which curation is easier and more profitable than content creation or takes time, or requires a large investment. Those who are here for a quick buck are not staking, just milking the platform.