Ego??? Some times in some ways for SOME people, MAYBE. I've learned that being a teacher (good teacher) one learns far more the the "student" Joy comes in serving others. Helping others is a commandment for some of us (Biblical speaking). I may be new at Linux, but have spent much of my life helping others in various ways, do NOT like being in the "spotlight". Alexander Solzhenitsyn found joy in the midst of Stalin's Gulag, as he learned the meaning of "dying to self". I suppose you believe people like Dietrich Bonhoffer (killed by Hitler) was an egomaniac by risking his freedom and life leading the Nazi resistance movement within the Church of Germany? GIVING, NOT BEING SELF-CENTERED, Is at the heart of a life of joy and freedom...
On Thursday 12 December 2002 02:12 pm, you wrote: > On Thu, 2002-12-12 at 20:31, Charlie wrote: > > On December 12, 2002 01:02 am, Meliton wrote: > > <snip> > > > > > Open minds, perhaps. But in my opinion the driving force behind the > > > amazing support one gets on Linux is fundamentally egoistic: it feels > > > good to help someone out, specially when they ask nicely. It also > > > implies a touch of vanity, not as in posing, rather an intimate thing, > > > the satisfaction of knowing oneself useful. > > > > > > Don't get me wrong on egoism, I'm all in favour. It's the only natural > > > thing, we all act in our own interests. Volunteers who go off to poor > > > countries to help people are just being egoistic, in my view, and that > > > doesn't make them bad people. > > > > > > Lets all keep at it, this egoism thing rocks. > > > > > > Meliton. > > > > [rant alert] > > Subjective observations. > > > > Caveat: > > > > Since I know myself so well and have analyzed who and what I am to an > > absurd degree; nearly any question I pose here is rhetorical, _for me._ > > The answers are readily apparent from my perspective. You'll have to > > answer any you may find intriguing for yourself. > > > > I do as much as I can to help others with installing, and using, Open > > Source Software, simply because I feel an obligation. To myself. I've > > received help from "the community" since I became curious about > > GNU/Linux, that curiosity was often partially satisfied by answers from > > people on mailing lists and help forum web sites. Even the RTFM/STFW > > style answer usually told me something I needed to know. However those > > answers never quite felt sufficient since, due to personal time > > constraints, or other factors, others may not have been able to sort > > through thousands of pages of manuals or web 'how-to pages'; or may just > > require a more finely directed as to *what* to read. Taking the arrogance > > out of the elitist style answers above comes closer to meeting my self > > imposed obligation to try to share knowledge. > > > > Does this fit your mold of egoism and it's resultant behaviors? > > Yes it does. > > > Or is egoism > > as an answer appearing as to flip, to simplistic to fit the record? > > "Egoism" is just a word, I use it a lot because it shocks some people > into not lying to themselves. Too few people. And I do believe that we > all act strictly according to our interests, though not as rational > beings (which we are NOT). Those interests may be (often are) hidden > from us, and we often act in ways that harm us (drugs...) or seem > altruistic (sharing your knowledge of Linux ;). But absolutely every act > of every human being in History, including all the moving ones of > self-sacrifice, are for the actor's benefit. I'm not being cynical here. > > > Installations aren't always permanent among a few of the friends and > > acquaintances that I've helped. Repetitious yes. Permanent....? > > > > The reasons are myriad, but the underlying theme nearly always has been > > in the form of; "but I didn't have to know how Windows does this. It's > > too hard." My answer is almost always; > > "Does any release of Windows allow secure multi-user/multi-tasking > > computing _when it's running as a default installation_?" > > I think everyone here knows that answer. Other favorite answers; > > "If it's so hard how can I run without Windows?" > > "Which of the last 10 virii/trojans/worms affected your computer and/or > > did you have to re-install and have you lost data and time because of > > it?" These are very rare occurrences in Open Source Operating System > > environments simply because the developers don't expect that you stay > > ignorant as to what happens when you push that power on button. In fact > > they almost _demand_ that you _not_ remain uninformed. By default > > GNU/Linux seems to make the assumption that you're willing and able to > > learn at least a few basic facts. The longer the development process > > continues, and the more people that switch, the fewer the 'basics' that > > are required just to be a user. Windows developers, and the Microsoft > > Corporation, actually want you to stay 'stuck on stupid' for life. > > > > It's safer for them. Who benefits? > > > > In light of the above; and my sense of obligation to pass on the little > > I've learned, does it benefit *me,* primarily through feeling good about > > it, or is it self preservation to help to teach others to break this > > particular trap? > > Wether your primary reason is "feeling good about it" or "self > preservation", I'm not to know. But I'm glad to see that you agree with me. > > > This thing that was started to facilitate military communication (the > > internet) has been deeded to us all for our use. Does it not seem > > therefore that we all have an obligation to learn to use it safely and > > properly, and to protect the right to use it freely? > > > > Is it not a 'battlefield' for freedom? Of expression, ideas, _knowledge_? > > Information exchange without threat of censorship or repression? > > > > Do we not want to control our own lives and the ability to communicate as > > _we_ choose? > > > > Therefore my sense of obligation. What of your egoism now? > > Hello? > > > [\rant alert] > > > > Sorry about that, but it seems someone pushed one of my buttons. :-) > > Uh, yeah, sorry. I was brought up in Windows :) > > Meliton.
Want to buy your Pack or Services from MandrakeSoft? Go to http://www.mandrakestore.com
