Archive of UserLand's first discussion group, started October 5, 1998.

Submission

Author:Tim Moore
Posted:3/27/1999; 4:07:44 PM
Topic:Submission
Msg #:4599
Prev/Next:4598 / 4600

But submission is inevitable, even for people who hate to submit. Why? Because we die. And that's the ultimate act of submission. Wheeee! That's what I imagine death is like. You take your hands off the rail, unbuckle the seatbelt and go for the ultimate ride.

So, following this trail of logic, using my intellect, it makes sense to start submitting as soon as possible. This is the mathematics I believe in. If you've got a losing strategy, the best tactic is to admit defeat asap and get on with it.

The way you talk about submitting makes it sound like an all or nothing thing. Just because we have to die doesn't mean that we can't gain anything by refusing to yield to others in other situations. Just because we have a losing strategy doesn't mean that it's totally valueless. Framing it in terms of winning and losing ignores that.

It also ignores the ability for ideas to evolve and transcend the individuals who originally framed them. What if you had submitted to Apple ten years ago and allowed AppleScript to displace Frontier? Frontier doesn't even really compete with AppleScript anymore. It's taken on a life of its own. Don't take this the wrong way, but you as a person don't even matter that much to Frontier anymore. If, tragically, you "submitted" to death tonight, Frontier would continue to be just as useful to many people tomorrow as it is today (perhaps more). At the same time, it couldn't have existed in the first place without you, and wouldn't be what it is today without your creative direction. In a very real way, the software and essays you've written represent a part of you with the potential to outlive your physical body.

That all said, perhaps if you have a losing strategy, the best tactic is to reevaluate your strategy. Decide what's feasable and what isn't, and refocus on making the feasable actual. Submission can't possibly gain you anything.

BTW: It would be cool if DaveNets were posted to the discussion board so that people could easily respond directly.

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