Sometimes I’m bitter, but usually not. I wasn’t bitter when I wrote the previous post. Not at all. Amused perhaps, but not bitter. If you think it’s an angry developer ranting, you’re wrong. It’s a relaxed developer who is finally in a place where it’s not raining, making some observations.
And I will keeping making these observations. I know some people think that makes me childish or arrogant. I can’t help that. I respect the opinions of others and believe in their right to hold these opinions, but I don’t believe in just sitting here and accepting everything that’s said. The idea, somewhat popular these days, that artists should just smile and nod and accept what is said of their work is one I find revolting. That doesn’t mean not listening to others or not trying to learn. I have learned a lot from others and accepted advice that improved my work. I’ve said over and over again that I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere without a huge amount of help. But I don’t accept everything, and I won’t give the impression of doing so to make people more comfortable.
Discussion, people. That’s what it’s all about. Standing up on the agora and saying what you think. And we can all talk and agree and disagree and fight and slowly move towards something. To achieve that we need to know what we stand for; be willing to be wrong, but also refuse to compromise when we think compromise makes no sense.
It’s not about ego. If I wanted to be praised I wouldn’t be saying things that can piss people off. All I want to do is contribute my part of the discussion, not be the discussion. I just want to stand up for certain ideas, because they need standing up for. We should all do that. It makes the world more interesting.
I went to a German school in Thessaloniki, but most of the children were either fully Greek or half Greek. Sometimes the teachers who had just arrived from Germany would be aghast at how we would start shouting at each other during in-class discussions. Only we weren’t shouting – we were talking, and rather offended at the idea that a fight was going on. The more experienced teachers understood that those were the best discussions, those were the discussions where everyone learned something.
I’m talking, not shouting.
