I agree with your points, my friend. Mining at a significant scale is necessary to find blocks and claim the block reward, which provides the incentive for miners to continue mining and securing the network.

While decentralization is a core principle of Bitcoin, it's true that profit motive is also an important factor that drives many individuals and organizations in the cryptocurrency space. As you mentioned, if one miner doesn't follow this principle or attempts to mine on a tangent chain, they risk falling behind their competitors who are focused on maximizing profits.

Ultimately, it's this balance between decentralization and profit motive that helps drive innovation and progress in the Bitcoin ecosystem. It's up to each individual participant to determine how they want to contribute based on their own values and priorities.