Coding As Another Metaphor For Life
Conflict Resolution.
That is at the heart of everything.
Scientific discovery. Brilliant code. Religious bliss. Love. Peace. Prosperity.
We begin with a dream, a goal, a destination.
We team with others who share the vision if we can.
We’re sometimes surrounded by people who get in the way, inadvertently creating obstacles for us, by people who like us and are supportive in a general or even loving way, yet simply either can’t or don’t get it …it being where we’re headed. We encounter others who deliberately get in the way.
We get there anyway.
It’s a bonus if you’ve managed not to run anyone over on the way, and if all your friends and loved ones are happy that you’re happy.
Getting there, to that dream or goal or destination, means resolving many conflicts, bringing everything into compliance, creating an oasis of harmony.
It’s far from easy, but words like righteous and awesome aren’t an overstatement of how it feels.
There is no drug known to man that can get you as high as the euphoria of making the perfect business deal, one where everyone wins, or building a successful community that makes your corner of the world a better place, and writing perfect code is as ideal a means of human accomplishment as any.
Not to leave out the quests for divine understanding or high art, angelic music or the love of one’s life, but these belong on a more singular and highly personal plane.
There is no human discipline which does not require resolution of conflict to produce outstanding achievements.
Coders, it seems to me, occupy a territory uniquely situated between science and humanities, a place without many barriers to progress, a place as pure as scientific theory or musical composition and as rich to mine as any frontier man has discovered. The best will gift us all with things as ubiquitous as kleenex or the telephone, and with images as powerful as our most beautiful buildings, our fastest cars, and our favorite heroes.
