It's true that I don't have a frame of reference per say, that this is my first Steemfest, my first crypto conference if I'm to be honest, but I don't think I speak out of turn. What I saw, what I felt was real... the people were real and the atmosphere was one of hope and excitement.

I guess I could sit here and list all the upcoming projects that seemed promising to me, the new version of Utopian for example, the rocking announcement from Steempress, and for all that amazing building that has been going on behind the scenes for all these months, all of it fails to compare to the sheer power of the community.

You see, tech can be something pretty amazing. The technology we are participating of is nothing short of revolutionary, but what I'm trying to say is that none of it would mean a single thing, if it wasn't for the people who are here in the trenches with all of us.

I mean, why would it matter to have 3 second transactions, 2 seconds, or anything positive we could list about this blockchain, if we had no one excited to be part of it, if we had no one who truly cared and felt passionate about it's future? That's the point I'm trying to make here. The most amazing technology in the world could exist in a blockchain, but if there was no people to form it's social webbing, it would be like hearing about the beauty of cosmic events thousands of light years away.

I know that not everyone feels this way, and I'm not going to shame anyone who is feeling fear at this moment because I do understand. The market has kept on sliding to lower valuations and our rational mind is triggering negative ideas. I even read yesterday prophecies that call for the end very soon, prophets of doom who somehow know the end is nigh. But you know what? It doesn't anger me, I understand why they feel the way they do, they were not there, they did not see what I saw.

This is not the first time I say it, but it's always worth repeating: Communities are crash proof, simply because the ROI, the return on investment, is not only measured in satoshis or dollars, but also on happiness and purpose.

So, to those who have woken up today thinking that this is it, that you are seeing this whole revolution of ours swim it's last lap, I'll just say this much....

If you'd had only been there with us, nothing would be robbing you of your smiles...