Thoughts on powerdowns and risks

I've read here on there people who are literally upset to see users powering down. Of course when I say users, I mean it in a broad sense, but the point of friction is more directed towards big stake holders. Why is witness such-n-such powering down? How dare he? - The question is to me, What has changed?

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You see, since the very beginning of the STEEM blockchain witnesses have been powering down (for the most part). Yes, some have done so more aggressively than others, some have never done it, which is admirable, in the sense that I don't know how they've covered their costs at all. But that last point is precisely the one that some of the vocal critics fail to realize.

We may think that a Top20 witness is powering down with a heavy hand, but at the same time have little or no clue as to the costs of the infrastructure the Witness is running. Which is to say, that if that top20 is running two backup servers, a full node, plus more projects, there is a slight chance that the apparent loot he is taking home is no loot at all. So, Are we judging from a uninformed position or do we actually know the cost in their books?

Truth is this, if anyone believes that a witness does not have the best of intentions, the only logical step to take is to vote for one that does. Of course, since the stake we hold matters and it's proportional to our influence, some have a "louder voice" than others, but the point does remain.

Along the same lines, there's a social element to this whole experiment, and aside from aberrants, most people would enjoy being liked and appreciated. This applies to witnesses too, of course, and the political dynamics that govern our offline world, are not entirely absent on STEEM.

Point is, if someone is powering down, that's fine, it's really their choice. I've seen so many people come and go in my two years on this platform, so many cheerleaders become prophets of doom too, I'm at a point where almost nothing can surprise me. Are we taking a risk by remaining powered up? Could we lose it all? The answer is yes, to both, but the choice is personal and that's my point.

You have to ask yourself this: What are your biggest regrets. The chances you didn't take, or the failures you encountered? I got mine a long time ago, and me sticking around gives you a clue as to where I stand.