Diana Coman suggests Shrysr publish his private essay; he thinks it unethical to publicly speak ill of his employer. Diana replies that the point isn’t to speak ill of his employer; rather to tell the truth for and about himself – if his employers are at fault, that’s so whether he publicises it or not. Diana’s detailed feedback, on the other hand, is only suited to publicly stated subjects – otherwise she has to repeat herself every time a new guy has the same issue. Exemplifying something that she didn’t want – but needed – to write, she links to her Messenger Shoots Back article, detailing how the BitBet controversy was neither technical, nor about the 17BTC loss per se, but rather over Mircea Popescu’s painful means of bringing the problem to light; his ruthless, unyielding eradication of rot. The expose/eradicate/fix versus make-do/cope with/workaround dilemma defines the dispute; we readers must also choose whether to beat around the bush, coping with broken stuff as best we can, or expose and eliminate problems – fixing the issues head-on.
Shrysr isn’t free to publish whatever he’d like, but the perfect needn’t be the enemy of the good: he’ll get feedback on things he does post. Despite plenty of talk about it, Diana notes how little freedom there actually seems to be going around. As soon as a writer has to consider what his readers will think, he’s no longer free; worse – he’s also distracted from what he’s writing about!
When figuring out what one wants, it’s helpful to state clearly – and in as much detail possible – the things most important to oneself. Rather than listing all the things one doesn’t like about one’s current situation, the negatives should instead be focused on the things one cannot tolerate; this is arguably even more significant than the things one wants. Of course, the exercise is rather moot if one doesn’t want the right things.
A discussion on saltmines prompts Diana to warn of the dangers of trying to balance secular commitments with Republican work: senior people have tried and failed to do so. The saltmine represents the past; the Republic is the future. Besides, secular jobs can’t match the level of interest, growth and stimulation found in TMSR – if they could, they’d join the Republic! Shrysr should find a subsistence job that takes up as little of his time/energy as possible, so that he can devote as many resources as feasible to what really matters.
Shrysr is commended for de-weeding his noggin, and exhorted to say more (!) when it comes to status updates/acknowledging feedback.