@underlvr:
After I seeded the new one, I then restarted all of my old torrents to keep them active. Ā This specific torrent had at least one other seeder at that time, so I stopped my seed, so that the other seeder(s) would receive the upload credit if anyone wanted the torrent.
It appears that this is exactly what later occurred ā namely that another user, perhaps even that last lone seeder you mentioned leaving when you stopped your seed, continued to "share" that very same file, albeit in "promoted" form. Owing to a haphazard handling of the file's death and eventual resurrectionācoupled with the growing sense of detachment you experienced as your file continued to "live-on" without youāit was at this point that your altruism turned to indignation.
The zero-sum game of file sharing can create feelings of personal betrayal. But what you intended at first (for another to benefit) and what then later occured (others did benefit) are differences of circumstance, not substance. Sensing and accepting the idea of fairplay inherent in all file-sharing communities is essential for maintaining the more positive feelings of altruism that you already show in abundance.