MAN'S LIFE QUA MAN

[editorial@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Yes, you may choose to live your life as a complainer, never achieving anything yourself, "accomplishing" things only to the extent that others (the real producers) see fit to humor you.  But that is not the life that you *should* choose.  That is not the life that I want you to choose.

Now, let us be clear:  The complainer achieves nothing, accomplishes nothing, produces nothing.  He may attempt to inflict pain or guilt on the value producer, as a beggar or moocher does, in a desperate effort to convince the value producer to produce for him.  But it is always the value producer, and the value producer alone, who creates, dreams, inspires, and achieves.

Man has choices!  He may certainly choose to live as a parasite - a complainer, a maggot, a vampire, a looter, a beggar, a moocher - subject to the whims of the value producer.  

Ah, but to live qua man (as man should) is something different.  For man to live qua man means to live freely and independently - to think, to produce, to work, to achieve.  Living as man should means living by the work of one's own mind, not begging another to think for you.

Yes, sometimes the beggar receives a nickel in his cup.  Sometimes the looter gathers stolen goods.  But in neither case is he producing anything and in neither case are we witness to man's life qua man.




 ---- you wrote: 
> 
> 
> On Sun, 10 Oct 1999 editorial@xxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
> 
> > This is about who will achieve something and who will not.  Complaints
> > and bashing, even if correct, achieve nothing. 
> 
> I would disagree. Here is the logic:
> 
> (1) There are MANY complaints about Omega on this list. 
> 
> (2) As a result, it is clear to the casual reader that there are major
> problems with Omega software. 
> 
> (3) This will have a distinctly negative influence on how many sales 
> Omega can make, and the reputation of the company as a reliable software 
> producer.
> 
> (4) Omega realizes this, and will increase their efforts to make the 
> software better. 
> 
>    (4a) Omega will first try to fix this with additional marketing, but 
>         at some point will conclude that funds to improve product will 
>         have a better payoff long term.
> 
> Given the above, I believe complaints *DO* help spur Omega to build 
> a better product, and are thus worthwhile to do.
> 
> Could you point out the flaw(s) that would completely invalidate the above
> logic, and include an alternative chain of logic to show why complaining
> does not help? 
> 
> Larry
>