When I saw this contest via @disconnect I could not help but laugh my heart out because my imagination was already flying wild. I could imagine a million things Steemit would be if it were a Sport, a genre of music or a means of transportation. Well, for the purpose of this contest I wish to share with you my thoughts on what Steemit would definitely be like, if it weren't a virtual blog. I think it would be a contact sport, Kendo Martial Art, to be precise.

About Kendo

Kendo is a Japanese martial arts that combines sword play with martial arts. The name Kendo literally means sword's way or the way of the sword. Kendo as practiced today was modified from the ancient martial art of kenjutsu. Over the passing years, the technical aspects of this sport has been modified and fine tuned to make it both safe and appealing for entertainment and efficient in teaching the values of martial arts and enhancing wellbeing as a form of physical sport. Kendo, like other martial arts, can be practiced by younger persons, including children.

(Source: Getty images)

Kendo Paraphernalia

Like most contact sports, Kendo requires special protective gear and kits and of course a sword. Well, not the regular sword used by ninjas in movies ⚔️, but a wooden sword made from japanese bamboo.

^{Typical Kendo gears}

When donned by the athletes, this is what it looks like 👇

^{Image Source}

Why Kendo brings Steemit to my Mind

Imagine you have to fight an opponent and win. To succeed, it is decided that you need a sword. For your sword to be effective you have to exert your strength while using the sword albeit skillfully. But then, your opponent is securely padded. They are wearing a steel helmet to be sure your sword does no fatal damage. They are wearing thick protective body armour as well to cushion any physical contact from your thrusts. And yet against all these odds against your success at inflicting the subduing victory blow, you are armed with a fake weapon a wooden sword 😂😂😂

Relating these to Steemit, we all know that we desire to earn tokens for every post we painstakingly put up. We labour and toil and compose creatively, and carefully to avoid any form of infringement on copyrights of others. Then we aim to post it to just the right community in hopes that the post doesn't go live while the curators' time zones had put them to deep midnight sleep. We wouldn't solicit for upvotes but still we eagerly anticipate them even from the most benevolent of curation accounts from SC01-8 to all the Boomings and even the subscription only curators, we sometimes hope they could find our posts worth stopping by just to say hello with a 20% vote.

Yet, in spite of all our efforts, votes are not assured. In seven days, the best of posts have an equal chance of paying out nothing, or such little tokens that aren't commensurate with the time and energy expended, much like the damage that could possibly be inflicted during a Kendo game. You just can't cut through your opponent, no matter how hard you try with your wooden sworn on their padded armour! 😂😂😂

Conclusion

Like, Kendo, Steemit requires a lot of effort even though no tangible result is guaranteed. But with persistence, regular practice and skillfulness, Steemians can hope to benefit intellectually and financially through the engagements, and best of all, no fatal financial outcomes are recorded.

I hope you enjoyed reading through my wild musings. I invite my friends @benton3 @eliany and @ddwosky to join this contest.