Ive started not paywalling most of my posts. Removes from the equation getting angry at recent often zero monetization from engagement promised to earn something. I remembered that when I found Medium and started reading and writing, the money was a why not, not a reason I came. I don't feel like I'm writing for free for Medium. I feel like I'm writing for myself and the readers that engage. The different perspective is probably because I don't look at myself as a writer, rather, a thinker and feeler who happens to write well and enjoys being a ripple in someone's pond. One of my not paywalled stories touches on that. https://medium.com/catharsis-chronicles/restoring-sanity-individually-and-collectively-2a9b67ee83c3 subtitled "Everyone has the freedom and the power to exercise their free will and make beneficial ripples in the fabric of our lives."

For a professional writer as yourself, I totally get and respect your perspective.