I always compare software engineering to bonsai. To be happy doing either for a long time, you need to enjoy the work of becoming a craftsman for its own sake -- the things you build or cultivate can die quickly and for no good reason, and all that remains is the appreciation for the work you put in. Whenever someone asks for a fifth round of changes for a button's color, I think about a Japanese monk raking gravel. When the Tibetan monks blow away their mandala after weeks of painstaking work, I see startup pivots and acquihires.
That's a really interesting analogy. I struggle with the idea of working so hard on things that feel pointless and ephemeral, and that's a nice way to think about it.
I'm not sure that's the point of a mandala, but it's definitely an interesting idea to ponder.
Thanks for this. Recently I've been getting frustrated by some code. Your message helped me sort it out :-)
Interestingly, when I was a child I saw some artists making chalk drawings on the side walk outside of a church. It started raining, slowly ruining the drawings. The artists didn't budge, but kept on drawing until they were finished. They didn't care about the drawing (the thing), only the drawing (the action). Since then I've tried to live my life that way, but sometimes it is hard to remember.
