- E04 - Leadership! Google, Guido van Rossum, PSF

[Martin P. Hellwig]

Anton Vredegoor wrote:
<cut description of modern western society>
> 
> Most people can survive (without damaging their souls so to speak) when
> working for corruption themselves in this way, but sooner or later one
> is asked to corrupt others (defending one's title during a promotion,
> leading a community and so on). This is the crucial point where
> corruption definitively occurs: where silence is not enough anymore to
> keep one employed.
> 
> The human brain can withstand extreme amounts of conficting sensory
> data and still maintain a sense of continuity and order while from all
> sides things seem to fall apart. Such continuity is highly valuable
> because it is the only thing that keeps chaos at arms length. The same
> thing can be applied to whole societies (see for example the state
> American politics is in now). So that is the reason these kind of
> things normally are swept under the carpet.
> 
> However for *me* personally, because I am deserted by my government,
> the university community, friends and family, and left to fend for
> myself, there is no pressing need to keep up the facade so I can
> finally see it for what it is.
> 
Modern life has modern problem, well that isn't quite true, the problems 
are actually the same since the moment organisms began to group to 
enlarge their chance of survival.
The funny thing is that the problem, in its essentials, is still the 
same, how to enlarge the chance of survival, this time within the group.
"En zie daar" (pardon my dutch) we have created hierarchy and within 
that the problem of the individuals identity versus the groups identity, 
mix it with diplomacy and "unreal" friendship (the ones that are based 
on a persons status) and you got enough material to create Hollywood and 
everything that comes from it. If you add "take one for the group" you 
got yourself an action movie.

Now theory is all fine and dandy especially if its common sense but 
where does it leave us? Well most of the time, screwed, for the lack of 
a better word. But is it fair to negatively mark people because their 
personal identity for whatever reason fitted better to the common group 
identity? Sure it's bitter but don't be bitter about it, you know 
probably more then anybody else where that bitterness leads to.

What we can do about it? I have no clue, I'll just use that frustration 
to work on a personal project or making a song on my guitar, but YMMV 
;-). Perhaps being happy for somebody's else's luck is the key to ones 
own happiness, at least it works for me.

Now luckily where on the Internet where anybody can be anybody or not if 
they like to, at least everybody got a chance (not an equal one but 
still) to show what they are worth of. Perhaps you could too?

I wish you the best of wisdom and luck and I mean that most sincerely.
<cut rest>

-- 
mph