It feels like every action I take there has a ripple effect, building something bigger than just me.

You feel that way because it is.

Consider this in the simple terms.

You post a comment and get an upvote. It cross the dust level so you get a bit of HP a week later. That HP earns 2.9% inflation adjustment along with the ability to curate it. Say you curate at 8% annually, then you are close to 11% on whatever was earned on that comment.

Rinse and repeat.