miðvikudagur, apríl 27, 2005
So what is it with everyone's obsession with "finishing" things?
Actually, wrong question. The right one is:
So what is it with people who can't (or won't) get started on something if they realize that it can't (or most likely can't) ever be finished? Why is "finishing" something necessarily the high point of a project? I mean, how many people go on a vacation and wait for it to be over with crazed anticipation?
In my mind, the actual "doing" of things is what is important. As some wise man said "it's not the destination, it's the journey" (paraphrased by Freysi). I have never really finished anything I've ever written (with the exception of that one short story, but that's not really finished, need to fix it up). If I all of a sudden started thinking "what's the point of me writing at all? I never finish things" or "ok THIS time I'm gonna finish this story" (causing me to become more and more bitter as I impose this deadline on myself and never fulfil it), then I would probably never write anything ever again. Which would be a terrible loss for me, because I so enjoy writing. And when I'm writing, the only stuff going through my head are things directly related to my writing, not worries about when it will be done, how much I have left, or whether I will ever finish it.
I think those kind of thoughts are destructive, which is one reason why I don't want to make any passion of mine my daily work.
Books, movies, TV shows, they're different. Oftentimes I'll sit through something I don't necessarily enjoy very much, if only for the sense of completeness I get at the end. But that is so different from a personal project. In media, you are taking part in a prewritten story, which is written in a way to make you want to see more, to find out what really happens. In real life, there ain't nuthin' written before hand. So the fun is in the "writing", not the completing.
Let's say, for sake of argument, that you could download the memory of having written a bestselling novel straight into your brain. You know have the memory of all that hard work and the sense of completeness after having published it. But you never really experienced it. How many of you have ever wished you could relive some moment, or some period in your life? *raises a hand* It's the experience that counts, not some self-imposed feeling of satisfaction after completing something. It basically boils down to this:
Who cares what you do as long as you're having fun?
I have this feeling that some people force themselves to stop having fun and pretend that it's important to have a "reality check" and reassess the situation. Example:
Programmer A and B have good jobs and good job security. They both start working on a project in their free time and spend every waking moment on it. They both have lots of fun. However, they both realize that this is probably something which will never be completed; which they will never get any recognition for. Programmer A takes that thought and trashes it, he doesn't care, he's having fun. He'll stop this project once he stops having fun. Programmer B takes that thought and considers it carefully, realizing the truth behind it and scraps the project. Thus the project is no longer bringing him enjoyment.
Now which makes more sense to you? I think the key word in there is recognition. Some people feel the constant need to be patted on the back for what they do, and thus are not able to glean enjoyment from anything they do not finish.
Bah. Anyway, just me ranting, dunno where I wanted to go with that.
Actually, wrong question. The right one is:
So what is it with people who can't (or won't) get started on something if they realize that it can't (or most likely can't) ever be finished? Why is "finishing" something necessarily the high point of a project? I mean, how many people go on a vacation and wait for it to be over with crazed anticipation?
In my mind, the actual "doing" of things is what is important. As some wise man said "it's not the destination, it's the journey" (paraphrased by Freysi). I have never really finished anything I've ever written (with the exception of that one short story, but that's not really finished, need to fix it up). If I all of a sudden started thinking "what's the point of me writing at all? I never finish things" or "ok THIS time I'm gonna finish this story" (causing me to become more and more bitter as I impose this deadline on myself and never fulfil it), then I would probably never write anything ever again. Which would be a terrible loss for me, because I so enjoy writing. And when I'm writing, the only stuff going through my head are things directly related to my writing, not worries about when it will be done, how much I have left, or whether I will ever finish it.
I think those kind of thoughts are destructive, which is one reason why I don't want to make any passion of mine my daily work.
Books, movies, TV shows, they're different. Oftentimes I'll sit through something I don't necessarily enjoy very much, if only for the sense of completeness I get at the end. But that is so different from a personal project. In media, you are taking part in a prewritten story, which is written in a way to make you want to see more, to find out what really happens. In real life, there ain't nuthin' written before hand. So the fun is in the "writing", not the completing.
Let's say, for sake of argument, that you could download the memory of having written a bestselling novel straight into your brain. You know have the memory of all that hard work and the sense of completeness after having published it. But you never really experienced it. How many of you have ever wished you could relive some moment, or some period in your life? *raises a hand* It's the experience that counts, not some self-imposed feeling of satisfaction after completing something. It basically boils down to this:
Who cares what you do as long as you're having fun?
I have this feeling that some people force themselves to stop having fun and pretend that it's important to have a "reality check" and reassess the situation. Example:
Programmer A and B have good jobs and good job security. They both start working on a project in their free time and spend every waking moment on it. They both have lots of fun. However, they both realize that this is probably something which will never be completed; which they will never get any recognition for. Programmer A takes that thought and trashes it, he doesn't care, he's having fun. He'll stop this project once he stops having fun. Programmer B takes that thought and considers it carefully, realizing the truth behind it and scraps the project. Thus the project is no longer bringing him enjoyment.
Now which makes more sense to you? I think the key word in there is recognition. Some people feel the constant need to be patted on the back for what they do, and thus are not able to glean enjoyment from anything they do not finish.
Bah. Anyway, just me ranting, dunno where I wanted to go with that.
mánudagur, apríl 25, 2005
I've been sitting around for a while, twiddling my thumbs when I thought "Hey, why don't I go ahead and blog?" Been a while.
Couple of notable things have happened recently:
- Moved into the new house with mamma and pabbi; me own little apartment.
- Bought a car
- Got my payraise
- Set my apartment on fire
Apart from that, I've just been enjoying myself, playing video games and just hanging around :)
I'm almost back into my apartment, they managed to clean everything and I'm still waiting for the carpenter to come and replace the floor in my bedroom, then it's just out to buy a new bed and move back in. There's still a strong smell here though, not smoke but from the cleaning stuff they used.
Anyway, I'm not sure whether I'll continue updating this blog. I originally thought of it as a way to keep people back home updated on what was going on while I was in the states. Now that I'm home....maybe I'll just post on Los Otros. We'll see.
Couple of notable things have happened recently:
- Moved into the new house with mamma and pabbi; me own little apartment.
- Bought a car
- Got my payraise
- Set my apartment on fire
Apart from that, I've just been enjoying myself, playing video games and just hanging around :)
I'm almost back into my apartment, they managed to clean everything and I'm still waiting for the carpenter to come and replace the floor in my bedroom, then it's just out to buy a new bed and move back in. There's still a strong smell here though, not smoke but from the cleaning stuff they used.
Anyway, I'm not sure whether I'll continue updating this blog. I originally thought of it as a way to keep people back home updated on what was going on while I was in the states. Now that I'm home....maybe I'll just post on Los Otros. We'll see.
