September 21, 2005
No, this isn't a whining session. I decided to expound a little more on something I started yesterday...
I discussed this with my buddy Rodney some time ago, and felt I should "immortalize" it in my on-line ramblings. I think it is a genetic need for most animals to be in conflict with their surroundings, and work to overcome it. Maybe that's my definition of evolution. It's not that we (as one of those animal species) want conflict, or in some Sado-Masochistic way enjoy it. It's the sense of achievement that comes from overcoming adversity. Think about it. I don't think it's just Americans that root for the underdog, it's everyone. And it's not about beating our "betters", it's about attacking problems and creating with our own brains and two hands a solution. This goes way beyond the crap about not knowing happiness unless one knows sadness. This is about solving problems. In all the animal kingdom, we (humans - yes, I count myself among them) have the greatest capacity for overcoming problems. There is nothing we can't overcome. If I might be so bold, I have one of those professions that epitomizes this. My discipline doesn't make computers faster, less costly, less power-consuming, or anything like that. We have one job: we make sure that the products can be sold anywhere in the world by making sure that by design the machines meet worldwide regulations on a number of issues that are inherent in all computer systems. The folks that make computers work have the wonderful gift of looking at datasheets and schematics and seeing that Point A connects to Point B, and backup Point C is available to improve the product. Most of what we do is not on a schematic, and is often called Black Magic by those who don't understand it. And we love it. We are a different breed, and take great pride out of walking up to a system and determining what causes a problem and finding a solution. It's actually a very thankless job, but we don't do it for the thanks. We do it because we love to solve problems. We are grateful for the problems that arise, because we get the most incredible rush from making things work in the face of incredible odds.
Ok, maybe I'm going into an area that makes people's eyes glaze. Who cares about board layout-files and schematics? I'll give the analogy I gave my friend. Tolkien is a great dog (where did that come from? be patient - I'm long winded, but I have a point). He has a great and loving personality, and is generally happy. While I was talking to my friend, Tolkien went out on the driveway and started doing one of his favorite things. He has allergies. In fact, he seems to be allergic to about every sort of pollen in nature, and his skin itches all the time. Yes, I'm sure it's annoying. But does he sit on his bed with a look of pain and anguish and just complain about it? No. He has found a solution. One that makes him very happy. He goes out onto the driveway, lies down, and sticks all four feet into the air. He weighs in at about 160 pounds or better, and uses all that weight to bounce around on the pavement. He wiggles one way, and then the other, twisting his body the whole time as he scratches his whole back. Is he upset that he has to go to these lengths to achieve relief? Not in the least. He is out there groaning and moaning in a way that might not be suitable for all viewers. He has found a solution to a problem that makes him so profoundly happy, he might not ever experience that kind of happiness if he weren't faced with the initial problem: his back itched.
Personally, I think this is why so many people who have reached a stage of affluence and comfort turn towards other tasks. Some of those tasks are suspect regarding their actual importance in the grand scheme of things. When we lose that part of conflict in our lives that we have to look for it, we find it. That's why people started petitioning against the American flag being strung across overpasses after 9.11. They had nothing else to fight, and were upset that they couldn't legally put up signs in the same area for a yard sale. Yes, I'm sure I'll tick someone off if I go further into this, but I feel comfortable saying that if Robert Redford had the same issues in his life that I look forward to conquering he wouldn't have gone on record as saying he would move out of the United States if we elected Bush again. There are plenty of other Hollywood and Music Industry representatives that I think the same about. I'm sure if I didn't have a time-consuming life of work, remodelling, and child-rearing, I'd be on a stage somewhere spouting words of wisdom, and trying to convince the general population. In the meantime, I'll just spell out my rants on the web for the few people who might stumble across them. I might get an "I understand" or a "your full of (excrement)", but it's my dime...
I love it when I hear people talk about challenges rather than problems. Granted, I hate it when they do it because it's politically correct, but love it when they say it from the heart. People talk about Eutopia and the idea that Heaven is a place where we have no problems. That might very well be the description of Hell if you spent too much time there. Whining, complaining, and bitching are just the stages we go through before we attack the problems, solve them, and feel the elation that comes from success. That's just what we do... That's why we need not just God or whatever diety or force one subscribes to, but we need the devil or various counterpart as well.
Philosophical...
I discussed this with my buddy Rodney some time ago, and felt I should "immortalize" it in my on-line ramblings. I think it is a genetic need for most animals to be in conflict with their surroundings, and work to overcome it. Maybe that's my definition of evolution. It's not that we (as one of those animal species) want conflict, or in some Sado-Masochistic way enjoy it. It's the sense of achievement that comes from overcoming adversity. Think about it. I don't think it's just Americans that root for the underdog, it's everyone. And it's not about beating our "betters", it's about attacking problems and creating with our own brains and two hands a solution. This goes way beyond the crap about not knowing happiness unless one knows sadness. This is about solving problems. In all the animal kingdom, we (humans - yes, I count myself among them) have the greatest capacity for overcoming problems. There is nothing we can't overcome. If I might be so bold, I have one of those professions that epitomizes this. My discipline doesn't make computers faster, less costly, less power-consuming, or anything like that. We have one job: we make sure that the products can be sold anywhere in the world by making sure that by design the machines meet worldwide regulations on a number of issues that are inherent in all computer systems. The folks that make computers work have the wonderful gift of looking at datasheets and schematics and seeing that Point A connects to Point B, and backup Point C is available to improve the product. Most of what we do is not on a schematic, and is often called Black Magic by those who don't understand it. And we love it. We are a different breed, and take great pride out of walking up to a system and determining what causes a problem and finding a solution. It's actually a very thankless job, but we don't do it for the thanks. We do it because we love to solve problems. We are grateful for the problems that arise, because we get the most incredible rush from making things work in the face of incredible odds.
Ok, maybe I'm going into an area that makes people's eyes glaze. Who cares about board layout-files and schematics? I'll give the analogy I gave my friend. Tolkien is a great dog (where did that come from? be patient - I'm long winded, but I have a point). He has a great and loving personality, and is generally happy. While I was talking to my friend, Tolkien went out on the driveway and started doing one of his favorite things. He has allergies. In fact, he seems to be allergic to about every sort of pollen in nature, and his skin itches all the time. Yes, I'm sure it's annoying. But does he sit on his bed with a look of pain and anguish and just complain about it? No. He has found a solution. One that makes him very happy. He goes out onto the driveway, lies down, and sticks all four feet into the air. He weighs in at about 160 pounds or better, and uses all that weight to bounce around on the pavement. He wiggles one way, and then the other, twisting his body the whole time as he scratches his whole back. Is he upset that he has to go to these lengths to achieve relief? Not in the least. He is out there groaning and moaning in a way that might not be suitable for all viewers. He has found a solution to a problem that makes him so profoundly happy, he might not ever experience that kind of happiness if he weren't faced with the initial problem: his back itched.
Personally, I think this is why so many people who have reached a stage of affluence and comfort turn towards other tasks. Some of those tasks are suspect regarding their actual importance in the grand scheme of things. When we lose that part of conflict in our lives that we have to look for it, we find it. That's why people started petitioning against the American flag being strung across overpasses after 9.11. They had nothing else to fight, and were upset that they couldn't legally put up signs in the same area for a yard sale. Yes, I'm sure I'll tick someone off if I go further into this, but I feel comfortable saying that if Robert Redford had the same issues in his life that I look forward to conquering he wouldn't have gone on record as saying he would move out of the United States if we elected Bush again. There are plenty of other Hollywood and Music Industry representatives that I think the same about. I'm sure if I didn't have a time-consuming life of work, remodelling, and child-rearing, I'd be on a stage somewhere spouting words of wisdom, and trying to convince the general population. In the meantime, I'll just spell out my rants on the web for the few people who might stumble across them. I might get an "I understand" or a "your full of (excrement)", but it's my dime...
I love it when I hear people talk about challenges rather than problems. Granted, I hate it when they do it because it's politically correct, but love it when they say it from the heart. People talk about Eutopia and the idea that Heaven is a place where we have no problems. That might very well be the description of Hell if you spent too much time there. Whining, complaining, and bitching are just the stages we go through before we attack the problems, solve them, and feel the elation that comes from success. That's just what we do... That's why we need not just God or whatever diety or force one subscribes to, but we need the devil or various counterpart as well.
Philosophical...