Today is a day for pensive reflection. Lives were lost for an asshole to make a political point. And while not all ideas created through destructive methods are murderous or cowardly, this one certainly was.
After I take a moment to remember the people, I usually come to the same conclusion: the greatest destructive force in our lives is the drive for affluence. What some will do to save $1 is unthinkable – what some will do to gain $1 is often worse.
Sitting in a cubicle, day after day, the value of that dollar starts to decline, doesn’t it? But all the stuff we’ve created and tricked ourselves into thinking we need – a brand new, more expensive car, endless shelves of DVDs collecting dust, fancier couches, fancier furniture, more square footage to put all the junk we’re accumulating.
Even though we loathe the 9+ hours we’re away from our families, without access to natural light, a window, or even taking lunch breaks, we persist at sitting there.
Being self-employed, I value my own time. I know if I don’t pull in enough, the roof over my head will disappear. In order to keep that from happening, I have to inflict monetary damage on someone else: monetary damage that, if they had my skills, they’d never have to pay. The urge is always there, human nature, I guess, to offer one more service, one more thing I can charge for that they might get value out of.
In a way, I’m every bit the “capitalist” bad guy that I detest. But then I remember that I’m usually doing business with friends – and if they’re not friends yet, they soon will be. I don’t do business with bad people – I’m very blessed to have so many wonderful business friends. I can’t justify doing unnecessary damage. That’s not how I do business.
Business is inherently evil, cutthroat, and populated by the vile, disgusting mirrors of decent, hard-working people. That’s just the nature of the game. The value of the $1. By extension, entrepreneurship introduces you to the lowest fucking depths of the human psyche – ones so dark you can’t imagine them – because it’s not “the man” or a corporation bending you over, it’s another person.
I don’t play by those rules. It’s why I offer $1 classes while others charge ridiculous sums of money to share the same ideas. It’s why I do business with people like Ron and Ava and Viveka and Tracy and Laurie, who believe the same things I do. It’s why I take on just as much pro-bono work as I do paid. It’s why I don’t overcharge my friends with recommendations for unnecessary services or by padding my hours. Google might have said it first, but Do No Evil is my mantra, too – and I’m getting better at it every day.
If I could do it all for free, I would, because I’m damn good at it and I love the work. Sometimes I’m metaphorically punched in the face for this view. If you can’t take a little bloody nose once in a while, you ought to turn right around and head for the cubes.
Events – Fort Collins Digital Gunslingers and Web Wranglers
The Suit is a Lie
After I take a moment to remember the people, I usually come to the same conclusion: the greatest destructive force in our lives is the drive for affluence. What some will do to save $1 is unthinkable – what some will do to gain $1 is often worse.
Sitting in a cubicle, day after day, the value of that dollar starts to decline, doesn’t it? But all the stuff we’ve created and tricked ourselves into thinking we need – a brand new, more expensive car, endless shelves of DVDs collecting dust, fancier couches, fancier furniture, more square footage to put all the junk we’re accumulating.
Even though we loathe the 9+ hours we’re away from our families, without access to natural light, a window, or even taking lunch breaks, we persist at sitting there.
Being self-employed, I value my own time. I know if I don’t pull in enough, the roof over my head will disappear. In order to keep that from happening, I have to inflict monetary damage on someone else: monetary damage that, if they had my skills, they’d never have to pay. The urge is always there, human nature, I guess, to offer one more service, one more thing I can charge for that they might get value out of.
In a way, I’m every bit the “capitalist” bad guy that I detest. But then I remember that I’m usually doing business with friends – and if they’re not friends yet, they soon will be. I don’t do business with bad people – I’m very blessed to have so many wonderful business friends. I can’t justify doing unnecessary damage. That’s not how I do business.
Business is inherently evil, cutthroat, and populated by the vile, disgusting mirrors of decent, hard-working people. That’s just the nature of the game. The value of the $1. By extension, entrepreneurship introduces you to the lowest fucking depths of the human psyche – ones so dark you can’t imagine them – because it’s not “the man” or a corporation bending you over, it’s another person.
I don’t play by those rules. It’s why I offer $1 classes while others charge ridiculous sums of money to share the same ideas. It’s why I do business with people like Ron and Ava and Viveka and Tracy and Laurie, who believe the same things I do. It’s why I take on just as much pro-bono work as I do paid. It’s why I don’t overcharge my friends with recommendations for unnecessary services or by padding my hours. Google might have said it first, but Do No Evil is my mantra, too – and I’m getting better at it every day.
If I could do it all for free, I would, because I’m damn good at it and I love the work. Sometimes I’m metaphorically punched in the face for this view. If you can’t take a little bloody nose once in a while, you ought to turn right around and head for the cubes.
Mark my words – I’m going to change the game.