Passion, Creativity, Technology: Solutions for What?

Passion about technology is contagious. We admire passionate and exciting people who are creating amazing technology solutions.

I admire myself when I can create something out of an idea :-)

Do we go the next step and ask why we admire them or why we don't question ourselves more?

Not really....because the real answers are embarrassing:

• "Because I can, therefore I am and I have meaning." ...or

• "See how much smarter than I am then you?" or....

• "People will notice me..."

It's politically incorrect to even ask ourselves direct questions any more: avoid, smile, be charming; be the best, brightest, "rise to the top"...the top of what? The top of the hill? Shit rolls down hill...remember?

Even as an old guy, I can easily work straight 24 hour spurts to realize my creativity. I get very impatient when interrupted. Once my masterpiece is created: I feel very fulfilled...for about 2 days -- then real relationships need to be nurtured. My family and neighbors have needs that only I can fulfill...I find myself feeling inadequate at that point. While I can say I am indirectly contributing to our exploding economy (and an implosion of the wages for most people), the truth is that it's a drug I take at times to avoid growing up and thinking about other people.

Its all about creating more ways to distract ourselves and others from the gnawing ache in our hearts; the anxious thoughts that we don't know how to create solutions for our communities and our own relationship skills suffer.

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So, I continue be excited about new technologies and passionate about creating, but I try not to fool myself. It is what it is: it's for my enjoyment and creative expression -- nothing to be obsessively passionate about.

What should I really be passionate about? What will really give me a sense of fullfilment and joy about life?

The answer is very naive and simple:

When we use our creativity, time and talents to help those around us, when we get to really know them, It fills the hole in our hearts. It is a peaceful and long-lasting fulfilment. Spreading the love causes a chain reaction that produces miracles: unsolvable community and global problems get solved one heart at a time.

Follow-up On Friendster: Bad Wallflower Karma...

Back in July of 2006 I made a short blog entry about Friendster's attempts to patent social networking software; haven't checked back until today on how our Friendster is doing:

Not surprisingly, someone's ego got the best of them. Pure ego, greed and hunger to shut out any competition, claim ultimate creator of all things social networking.... came back in an unpleasant karma.

Seems their patented social networking software is a performance loser: good "chrome" and time-to-market, but rusty under the hood and in the soul.

Here is a quote from a Harvard professor that now uses Friendster as a failure case study:

There is no single reason that explains Friendster’s failures, Professor Piskorski added, which is what makes it academic fodder. “It’s a power story,” he said. “It’s a status story. It’s an ego story.” But largely, he said, Friendster is a “very Silicon Valley story that tells us a lot about how the Valley operates.”

Full article and video Wallflower at the Web Party, New York Times, Oct 15th 2006.