Randomness: School, Essays, Fun & FOSS
A very busy week has passed. Didn’t give much time to sit down and look back. Luckily tomorrow’s a non-working holiday (as if I have a job), so that gives me some extra time to share some random personal junk I’ve accumulated.
School!
Finally, I’m going to school again! If all goes well, that is. I actually already finished my college course 4 years ago (Bachelor of Arts Classical major in Philosophy), so this is like a second degree, but not equivalent to a baccalaureate (since it actually requires that). I’m taking up Diploma in Computer Science, something I’ve wanted to take up years ago. Now I will, and fortunately for me, I would be able to take it mostly at home. It’s a distance education/home learning program, so I can stay at home, and only go to the campus for exams. I still have to apply, though. Then comes the excruciating waiting for news whether I’m accepted or not. Keeping my fingers crossed.
Essays…
As part of the requirements for the application to school, I’m supposed to write a 500-word essay. The topic is “what is your purpose in applying to the program and what are your plans after finishing the program?” These types of questions always smell like beauty pageant questions, and I almost can’t resist ending my answer with “and world peace.” Somehow I was hoping that the topic would be a bit more thought-provoking. But at the same time, I literally took me a week finish writing the essay, partly because of boredom, and party because of being unable to think up of ways to make my essay not look like a grade school’s answer. I somehow miss my philosophy days because of it.
Fun & FOSS
Two weeks ago I started reading (again, from the beginning, for the nth time), Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. When I came across his discussion on centers, particularly the “Pleasure center”, I was reminded of how often I (and probably many other people) used “fun” as the reason for starting, staying, and even leaving their areas of FOSS contribution. I can’t remember how many times I’ve heard “I do this because it’s fun/I like doing it” or “I’m leaving/stopping because it’s no longer fun”. I’ve even said it myself. A lot. Like for example, my “zeal” in helping out in Kubuntu is slowly starting to disappear, due to some circumstances. But mostly because I don’t seem to be enjoying it anymore. This is not an attempt to strike at those people who use “fun” as their raison d’être, specially since I’m guilty of the same thing. I’ve just been reflecting on whether we should rely on something as flimsy as “fun” as the driving force for contributing. Human as we are, and as volunteers who mostly don’t get paid to work on projects, we, of course, are inclined to do what we like more. But what if, as I’ve experienced a lot, the “fun” runs out? What do we do? Somehow I feel that I myself should have some deeper, more substantial motivation. Does world konquest count? 
