Geeks’ private hells

July 4, 2006 By

At my party on Sunday you’d think that the crowd was the luckiest of the lucky. There were people there that had made millions of dollars and judging from the cars in my driveway there was quite a bit of wealth that walked through my door. The crowd looked happy if you just looked at it superficially.

But, if that’s all you saw you might have missed these stories. I almost did too.

As I was meeting my friends that I’d invited I’d ask “how have things been going lately?”

It’s usually a good way for partiers to tell me about how their careers have been going, or maybe bring up something personal like they have a baby on the way, etc. Usual small talk.

But one guest answered: “well, I couldn’t afford rent on my home, got kicked out, and have been living in homeless shelters for several months.” He actually started out by saying “things have been getting better” because he found a place to stay outside of the shelter world. He has a wife and cute daughter.

I suddenly felt very small as I looked over at my $4,000 HDTV.

A few minutes later some food was spilled and I really didn’t care. Thanks to that conversation I had been reminded just how lucky I was.

You might have missed another couple who was sitting in my family room with their son. He has Downs’ Syndrome. He’s 21. They’ve never been able to communicate with him. If you just met the couple I’m talking about you’d think they have the most perfect lives. They own a huge home near Bill Gates. The guy has a marvelous career (is at the top of his field in Seattle). They seem to have it all.

Yet they’d trade it all to be able to talk with their son.

Are you going through a private hell you aren’t sharing with other people? In America today is Independence Day. Why don’t you tell someone your hell and we’ll see if we can help?

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  • offline

    Thanks a lot for that post. It was the first time outside the family and close friends that i talked about the loss of my loved mom. But Scoble just made me write that down and i do feel a lot better now.
    Thank you.

  • offline

    Thanks a lot for that post. It was the first time outside the family and close friends that i talked about the loss of my loved mom. But Scoble just made me write that down and i do feel a lot better now.
    Thank you.

  • http://www.rebie.org/ novitch

    ok, let’s play. I’m a french entrepreneur and i had to leave my apartment in st germain des pres – paris, today. It was sad and i felt sick for a couple of hours specially because it was the place i used to live with my 49′s girl friend from SF ;) But now i have to fight again, get some new income, new ideas and build a new team in order to be back and in shape in september. So work hard again and i will party hard soon and also find a house, LOL i forgot about it.

  • http://www.rebie.org novitch

    ok, let’s play. I’m a french entrepreneur and i had to leave my apartment in st germain des pres – paris, today. It was sad and i felt sick for a couple of hours specially because it was the place i used to live with my 49′s girl friend from SF ;) But now i have to fight again, get some new income, new ideas and build a new team in order to be back and in shape in september. So work hard again and i will party hard soon and also find a house, LOL i forgot about it.

  • http://www.thebizofknowledge.com/ thebizofknowledge

    I thought this was a great post. It really got me to stop and count my blessings. I am very lucky to be able to say that I’m going through a good period now (knock on wood), but it hasn’t always been this way. Everyone just has to persevere through the tough times to get to the good. Not as easy as it sounds, of course, but you get the idea.

  • http://www.thebizofknowledge.com thebizofknowledge

    I thought this was a great post. It really got me to stop and count my blessings. I am very lucky to be able to say that I’m going through a good period now (knock on wood), but it hasn’t always been this way. Everyone just has to persevere through the tough times to get to the good. Not as easy as it sounds, of course, but you get the idea.

  • http://www.chipsquips.com/ Sterling (Chip) Camden

    Thanks for the post, Robert. I have a very lucky life in general, but my youngest son is on the autism spectrum. I wouldn’t trade him for anyone else, but I hurt for the challenges he faces (so bravely) in life. He is making great progress, and my hope for him is that by the time he’s an adult he’ll be able to cope and succeed on his own.

  • http://www.chipsquips.com Sterling (Chip) Camden

    Thanks for the post, Robert. I have a very lucky life in general, but my youngest son is on the autism spectrum. I wouldn’t trade him for anyone else, but I hurt for the challenges he faces (so bravely) in life. He is making great progress, and my hope for him is that by the time he’s an adult he’ll be able to cope and succeed on his own.

  • http://johnmhightower.com/ John Hightower

    Your post and the comments it elicited allowed me to make a decision I feel good about. Instead of waiting for some “catastrophic event” to give money to help some families, I’ve decided to choose an organization I feel good about giving to and write a check to help them each month. And as my income grows, I can donate more.

    Also, I’ll find an organization I can contribute my time and skills to again; that’s something I’ve gotten out of the habit of doing for a year, and it’s time I offered something in addition to just my money.

    Thanks for your post.

  • http://johnmhightower.com/ John Hightower

    Your post and the comments it elicited allowed me to make a decision I feel good about. Instead of waiting for some “catastrophic event” to give money to help some families, I’ve decided to choose an organization I feel good about giving to and write a check to help them each month. And as my income grows, I can donate more.

    Also, I’ll find an organization I can contribute my time and skills to again; that’s something I’ve gotten out of the habit of doing for a year, and it’s time I offered something in addition to just my money.

    Thanks for your post.

  • http://johnmhightower.com John Hightower

    Your post and the comments it elicited allowed me to make a decision I feel good about. Instead of waiting for some “catastrophic event” to give money to help some families, I’ve decided to choose an organization I feel good about giving to and write a check to help them each month. And as my income grows, I can donate more.

    Also, I’ll find an organization I can contribute my time and skills to again; that’s something I’ve gotten out of the habit of doing for a year, and it’s time I offered something in addition to just my money.

    Thanks for your post.

  • http://www.ryanwalters.net/ Ryan Walters

    Chip — by “Yet they’d trade it all to have a son they can talk with,” I’m pretty sure Scoble means, “Yet they’d trade it all to be able to talk with their son.”

  • http://www.ryanwalters.net/ Ryan Walters

    Chip — by “Yet they’d trade it all to have a son they can talk with,” I’m pretty sure Scoble means, “Yet they’d trade it all to be able to talk with their son.”

  • http://www.ryanwalters.net Ryan Walters

    Chip — by “Yet they’d trade it all to have a son they can talk with,” I’m pretty sure Scoble means, “Yet they’d trade it all to be able to talk with their son.”

  • http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/ Robert Scoble

    Ryan, yeah, that’s what I meant. Sometimes I really screw up my grammar.

  • http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/ Robert Scoble

    Ryan, yeah, that’s what I meant. Sometimes I really screw up my grammar.

  • http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/ Robert Scoble

    Ryan, yeah, that’s what I meant. Sometimes I really screw up my grammar.

  • Security Buddha

    Last year my mum passed away. wveryone wondered why I was able to cope with relative ease. I was of course deeply saddened but I was able to cope. Years before I discovered the book The Art of Happiness. Its a unique insight into western thoughts and relations to Buddism.

    One thing it taught me was to seek what you need not what you want, be thankful for today and to accept inevitability in life. We will all die. Be prepared and be thank full for that what you have had. The good times. The precious moments. The parents with the down syndrom son must have had 21 amazing years with a precious human. You have no reason to feel sorry for them.

    Many people in life give to charity not to help others but to eliminate their own pain of seeing others less fortunate than themselves ;-)

  • Security Buddha

    Last year my mum passed away. wveryone wondered why I was able to cope with relative ease. I was of course deeply saddened but I was able to cope. Years before I discovered the book The Art of Happiness. Its a unique insight into western thoughts and relations to Buddism.

    One thing it taught me was to seek what you need not what you want, be thankful for today and to accept inevitability in life. We will all die. Be prepared and be thank full for that what you have had. The good times. The precious moments. The parents with the down syndrom son must have had 21 amazing years with a precious human. You have no reason to feel sorry for them.

    Many people in life give to charity not to help others but to eliminate their own pain of seeing others less fortunate than themselves ;-)

  • Security Buddha

    Last year my mum passed away. wveryone wondered why I was able to cope with relative ease. I was of course deeply saddened but I was able to cope. Years before I discovered the book The Art of Happiness. Its a unique insight into western thoughts and relations to Buddism.

    One thing it taught me was to seek what you need not what you want, be thankful for today and to accept inevitability in life. We will all die. Be prepared and be thank full for that what you have had. The good times. The precious moments. The parents with the down syndrom son must have had 21 amazing years with a precious human. You have no reason to feel sorry for them.

    Many people in life give to charity not to help others but to eliminate their own pain of seeing others less fortunate than themselves ;-)

  • http://spaces.msn.com/members/mthddirector/ Matthew

    I’ve been working in a mostly administrative position at a studio for 5 years (since grad school). I’m well-respected at all levels of management. All along, I was told repeatedly that my efforts would be rewarded with a promotion. Meanwhile, I’ve been living on the verge of bankruptcy. I don’t think I’ll ever get a house. Two months ago, my division restructured, and rather than offer me the promotion, they brought in someone new. This, after a glowing evaluation (the best I’ve ever gotten). I’d leave my job immediately if I wasn’t living from one paycheck to the next.

    For the past 2 years, I’ve devoted my nights and weekends to a project that I’ve failed to set up at the ideal company because they’re afraid of hearing outside ideas. We haven’t even gotten to the NDA, and it’s been a year of back and forth. So I’ve given up on the project. Now I find myself in my mid-30′s, starting from scratch.

    Sometimes, Robert, life takes an interesting turn, and you look back and ask “how did I get here?” I, too, have friends who have been incredibly successful. But there’s such a fine line between “making it” and not. And the sequence of events leading to one or the other are rarely driven by logic nor are even subject to rational explanation.

  • http://spaces.msn.com/members/mthddirector/ Matthew

    I’ve been working in a mostly administrative position at a studio for 5 years (since grad school). I’m well-respected at all levels of management. All along, I was told repeatedly that my efforts would be rewarded with a promotion. Meanwhile, I’ve been living on the verge of bankruptcy. I don’t think I’ll ever get a house. Two months ago, my division restructured, and rather than offer me the promotion, they brought in someone new. This, after a glowing evaluation (the best I’ve ever gotten). I’d leave my job immediately if I wasn’t living from one paycheck to the next.

    For the past 2 years, I’ve devoted my nights and weekends to a project that I’ve failed to set up at the ideal company because they’re afraid of hearing outside ideas. We haven’t even gotten to the NDA, and it’s been a year of back and forth. So I’ve given up on the project. Now I find myself in my mid-30′s, starting from scratch.

    Sometimes, Robert, life takes an interesting turn, and you look back and ask “how did I get here?” I, too, have friends who have been incredibly successful. But there’s such a fine line between “making it” and not. And the sequence of events leading to one or the other are rarely driven by logic nor are even subject to rational explanation.

  • http://spaces.msn.com/members/mthddirector/ Matthew

    I’ve been working in a mostly administrative position at a studio for 5 years (since grad school). I’m well-respected at all levels of management. All along, I was told repeatedly that my efforts would be rewarded with a promotion. Meanwhile, I’ve been living on the verge of bankruptcy. I don’t think I’ll ever get a house. Two months ago, my division restructured, and rather than offer me the promotion, they brought in someone new. This, after a glowing evaluation (the best I’ve ever gotten). I’d leave my job immediately if I wasn’t living from one paycheck to the next.

    For the past 2 years, I’ve devoted my nights and weekends to a project that I’ve failed to set up at the ideal company because they’re afraid of hearing outside ideas. We haven’t even gotten to the NDA, and it’s been a year of back and forth. So I’ve given up on the project. Now I find myself in my mid-30′s, starting from scratch.

    Sometimes, Robert, life takes an interesting turn, and you look back and ask “how did I get here?” I, too, have friends who have been incredibly successful. But there’s such a fine line between “making it” and not. And the sequence of events leading to one or the other are rarely driven by logic nor are even subject to rational explanation.

  • http://www.ontelecommuting.com/ Natasha Goncharova

    Matthew, and those who consider a low paying job or no job as hell,
    while you are looking for better options (and I hope you are actively looking), read the book “Winning through intimidation”
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0449207862/002-3606830-3865648?v=glance&n=283155.
    It will give you a different perspective in life or at least a good laugh.

    Looking for a job or a better job IS your full time job and if you “plan your work, and work your plan”, you will get what you want. (At the very least, hang out at more blogs and let people know you are looking.)

    No job, low paying job, bad boss are, while hells, are hells addressable.

    It is when someone who you love deeply gets incurably ill and/or dies, it is then I think real hell, and nothing can help. Realizing that nothing you can do to save your dear person and seeing her/him suffer is certainly close to hell. Only love you can give and hold your tears to let them go with peace. Then, later … living without that person … Time does not heal, time only treats, and there is a big difference between the two.

    Give unconditional love while you can, every day let your loved ones, your parents know that you love them no matter what. If you do not have someone you love, consider a random act of good. There will be less hell in life.

  • http://www.ontelecommuting.com/ Natasha Goncharova

    Matthew, and those who consider a low paying job or no job as hell,
    while you are looking for better options (and I hope you are actively looking), read the book “Winning through intimidation”
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0449207862/002-3606830-3865648?v=glance&n=283155.
    It will give you a different perspective in life or at least a good laugh.

    Looking for a job or a better job IS your full time job and if you “plan your work, and work your plan”, you will get what you want. (At the very least, hang out at more blogs and let people know you are looking.)

    No job, low paying job, bad boss are, while hells, are hells addressable.

    It is when someone who you love deeply gets incurably ill and/or dies, it is then I think real hell, and nothing can help. Realizing that nothing you can do to save your dear person and seeing her/him suffer is certainly close to hell. Only love you can give and hold your tears to let them go with peace. Then, later … living without that person … Time does not heal, time only treats, and there is a big difference between the two.

    Give unconditional love while you can, every day let your loved ones, your parents know that you love them no matter what. If you do not have someone you love, consider a random act of good. There will be less hell in life.

  • http://www.ontelecommuting.com Natasha Goncharova

    Matthew, and those who consider a low paying job or no job as hell,
    while you are looking for better options (and I hope you are actively looking), read the book “Winning through intimidation”
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0449207862/002-3606830-3865648?v=glance&n=283155.
    It will give you a different perspective in life or at least a good laugh.

    Looking for a job or a better job IS your full time job and if you “plan your work, and work your plan”, you will get what you want. (At the very least, hang out at more blogs and let people know you are looking.)

    No job, low paying job, bad boss are, while hells, are hells addressable.

    It is when someone who you love deeply gets incurably ill and/or dies, it is then I think real hell, and nothing can help. Realizing that nothing you can do to save your dear person and seeing her/him suffer is certainly close to hell. Only love you can give and hold your tears to let them go with peace. Then, later … living without that person … Time does not heal, time only treats, and there is a big difference between the two.

    Give unconditional love while you can, every day let your loved ones, your parents know that you love them no matter what. If you do not have someone you love, consider a random act of good. There will be less hell in life.

  • Guest

    My first manager at Microsoft didn’t have a degree, not even an Associates. I have a B.A. degree yet I don’t remember a single person in HR or during the interview process at MS where I was asked about it. That was quite a while ago so maybe things have changed, but I’d be surprised to see MS turn someone down from an interview with excellent skills and passion just because they don’t have a degree. Especially when they have so many open jobs. How does one apply for Scoble’s job anyway? :-)

  • Guest

    My first manager at Microsoft didn’t have a degree, not even an Associates. I have a B.A. degree yet I don’t remember a single person in HR or during the interview process at MS where I was asked about it. That was quite a while ago so maybe things have changed, but I’d be surprised to see MS turn someone down from an interview with excellent skills and passion just because they don’t have a degree. Especially when they have so many open jobs. How does one apply for Scoble’s job anyway? :-)

  • http://blog.nordquist.org Brett Nordquist

    My first manager at Microsoft didn’t have a degree, not even an Associates. I have a B.A. degree yet I don’t remember a single person in HR or during the interview process at MS where I was asked about it. That was quite a while ago so maybe things have changed, but I’d be surprised to see MS turn someone down from an interview with excellent skills and passion just because they don’t have a degree. Especially when they have so many open jobs. How does one apply for Scoble’s job anyway? :-)

  • downButNotOut

    Thanks for the post. I broke down since I felt you were talking to me directly. Yes, I am a geek, and private hell is it !! I thought I was strong, I had never written it down, until now…leave alone posting on a public forum.

    I am currently going through separation, after nearly a decade and half of a marriage. I made a big career switch just last year after sweating it out in high stress jobs. And early this year, a series of unrelated medical woes and complications just avalanched into a current disability (that prevents me from being at the job) that is requiring a pretty major surgery and recovery may take more than 3-6 months.

    I am an immigrant and do not have any immediate family living this side of the continent.

    And just in the past three years, my little kid was suspected with tumors in the kidney and is in the clear now. Both my mom and dad survived some major health downturns and are at best coping now; my brother and wife are grieving from having lost their first born twin babies and my sister went thru a divorce(and since, happily remarried).

    But still there are things to thank for…I have a wonderful child who makes me want to wake up and be there everyday. I still have a job and in my decade long career, for the first time I feel I work for a company that truly cares and has been very supportive of me.

    And I am thankful for the mercy of a few good friends and a tight knit family that is supportive, a phone call away.

    And most of all I thank my “nerdy tech” background. Reading books saves my soul. Technology provides me companionship to beat the emotional solitude. It makes me want to learn and build something new everyday, think about stuff, read blogs that matter – even from the confines of a sick bed.

    I strangely feel better, despite feeling awkward about whining personal stuff on a public blog. Thank you for asking and thank you for listening. Happy July 4th.

  • downButNotOut

    Thanks for the post. I broke down since I felt you were talking to me directly. Yes, I am a geek, and private hell is it !! I thought I was strong, I had never written it down, until now…leave alone posting on a public forum.

    I am currently going through separation, after nearly a decade and half of a marriage. I made a big career switch just last year after sweating it out in high stress jobs. And early this year, a series of unrelated medical woes and complications just avalanched into a current disability (that prevents me from being at the job) that is requiring a pretty major surgery and recovery may take more than 3-6 months.

    I am an immigrant and do not have any immediate family living this side of the continent.

    And just in the past three years, my little kid was suspected with tumors in the kidney and is in the clear now. Both my mom and dad survived some major health downturns and are at best coping now; my brother and wife are grieving from having lost their first born twin babies and my sister went thru a divorce(and since, happily remarried).

    But still there are things to thank for…I have a wonderful child who makes me want to wake up and be there everyday. I still have a job and in my decade long career, for the first time I feel I work for a company that truly cares and has been very supportive of me.

    And I am thankful for the mercy of a few good friends and a tight knit family that is supportive, a phone call away.

    And most of all I thank my “nerdy tech” background. Reading books saves my soul. Technology provides me companionship to beat the emotional solitude. It makes me want to learn and build something new everyday, think about stuff, read blogs that matter – even from the confines of a sick bed.

    I strangely feel better, despite feeling awkward about whining personal stuff on a public blog. Thank you for asking and thank you for listening. Happy July 4th.

  • downButNotOut

    Thanks for the post. I broke down since I felt you were talking to me directly. Yes, I am a geek, and private hell is it !! I thought I was strong, I had never written it down, until now…leave alone posting on a public forum.

    I am currently going through separation, after nearly a decade and half of a marriage. I made a big career switch just last year after sweating it out in high stress jobs. And early this year, a series of unrelated medical woes and complications just avalanched into a current disability (that prevents me from being at the job) that is requiring a pretty major surgery and recovery may take more than 3-6 months.

    I am an immigrant and do not have any immediate family living this side of the continent.

    And just in the past three years, my little kid was suspected with tumors in the kidney and is in the clear now. Both my mom and dad survived some major health downturns and are at best coping now; my brother and wife are grieving from having lost their first born twin babies and my sister went thru a divorce(and since, happily remarried).

    But still there are things to thank for…I have a wonderful child who makes me want to wake up and be there everyday. I still have a job and in my decade long career, for the first time I feel I work for a company that truly cares and has been very supportive of me.

    And I am thankful for the mercy of a few good friends and a tight knit family that is supportive, a phone call away.

    And most of all I thank my “nerdy tech” background. Reading books saves my soul. Technology provides me companionship to beat the emotional solitude. It makes me want to learn and build something new everyday, think about stuff, read blogs that matter – even from the confines of a sick bed.

    I strangely feel better, despite feeling awkward about whining personal stuff on a public blog. Thank you for asking and thank you for listening. Happy July 4th.

  • http://stereoroid.com/ stereoroid

    Indeed, is all I can say. If I have a “personal hell”, it was finishing school in South Africa (where I’d lived since age 6) and being told, by my indigent parents, to get a job. I stayed at home for a year and a half after that, paying them rent, before moving out. Finishing high school in SA gives you an education roughly equivalent to a US Junior College degree or UK A-Levels, but anything more advanced was denied me – who would pay for it?

    I now live in Ireland, surrounded by Europeans who consider a university degree “normal”, since the govt. supports you in getting one (to varying degrees), and anyone without one is not considered as employable. Never mind that I work in an advanced technical support role today, and any degree I might have taken way back then would be obsolete by now.

    Being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis earlier this year, after years of thinking I was going nuts with bizarrely annoying symptoms, is manageable by comparison. I’m still fully mobile and working, but it is not going to count in my favour next time I look for a job. (They’re not supposed to discriminate on medical grounds, but what do you think?) 8-/

  • http://stereoroid.com/ stereoroid

    Indeed, is all I can say. If I have a “personal hell”, it was finishing school in South Africa (where I’d lived since age 6) and being told, by my indigent parents, to get a job. I stayed at home for a year and a half after that, paying them rent, before moving out. Finishing high school in SA gives you an education roughly equivalent to a US Junior College degree or UK A-Levels, but anything more advanced was denied me – who would pay for it?

    I now live in Ireland, surrounded by Europeans who consider a university degree “normal”, since the govt. supports you in getting one (to varying degrees), and anyone without one is not considered as employable. Never mind that I work in an advanced technical support role today, and any degree I might have taken way back then would be obsolete by now.

    Being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis earlier this year, after years of thinking I was going nuts with bizarrely annoying symptoms, is manageable by comparison. I’m still fully mobile and working, but it is not going to count in my favour next time I look for a job. (They’re not supposed to discriminate on medical grounds, but what do you think?) 8-/

  • http://stereoroid.com/ stereoroid

    Indeed, is all I can say. If I have a “personal hell”, it was finishing school in South Africa (where I’d lived since age 6) and being told, by my indigent parents, to get a job. I stayed at home for a year and a half after that, paying them rent, before moving out. Finishing high school in SA gives you an education roughly equivalent to a US Junior College degree or UK A-Levels, but anything more advanced was denied me – who would pay for it?

    I now live in Ireland, surrounded by Europeans who consider a university degree “normal”, since the govt. supports you in getting one (to varying degrees), and anyone without one is not considered as employable. Never mind that I work in an advanced technical support role today, and any degree I might have taken way back then would be obsolete by now.

    Being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis earlier this year, after years of thinking I was going nuts with bizarrely annoying symptoms, is manageable by comparison. I’m still fully mobile and working, but it is not going to count in my favour next time I look for a job. (They’re not supposed to discriminate on medical grounds, but what do you think?) 8-/

  • Anon

    Life is not that bad for me at the moment.

    While I’m not able to talk to my family and most of them that I grew up with and cared about are dead now.
    I am not currently depressed or sucididal. I have friends and a beloved. I enjoy spending time with my friends. I can talk to my beloved about anything and they care for me as well as me careing for them.

    I have a job that allows me to pay the bills (after years of poverty and not believing I would ever get out of it) and to have some left over. I like my job and am hoping for a contract longer than 3/4 months.

    This is a good life. This is much better than the past. I have hope for the future.

  • Anon

    Life is not that bad for me at the moment.

    While I’m not able to talk to my family and most of them that I grew up with and cared about are dead now.
    I am not currently depressed or sucididal. I have friends and a beloved. I enjoy spending time with my friends. I can talk to my beloved about anything and they care for me as well as me careing for them.

    I have a job that allows me to pay the bills (after years of poverty and not believing I would ever get out of it) and to have some left over. I like my job and am hoping for a contract longer than 3/4 months.

    This is a good life. This is much better than the past. I have hope for the future.

  • Anon

    Life is not that bad for me at the moment.

    While I’m not able to talk to my family and most of them that I grew up with and cared about are dead now.
    I am not currently depressed or sucididal. I have friends and a beloved. I enjoy spending time with my friends. I can talk to my beloved about anything and they care for me as well as me careing for them.

    I have a job that allows me to pay the bills (after years of poverty and not believing I would ever get out of it) and to have some left over. I like my job and am hoping for a contract longer than 3/4 months.

    This is a good life. This is much better than the past. I have hope for the future.

  • Pieter

    Hi Robert, this is why I subscribe to your blog, not because you are, I mean, were, with Microsoft. But because to me you set an example of trying to be a very real person in a very technological and driven world. I really appreciate that.

    Yes, we live in a fallen world with much hurt, and sometimes we don’t see it, or are not confronted with it. But when we are, we hurt so much, because we realise it could have been, or may one day be, ourselves that stand to be in that place of “hell”.

    Thank you for your honesty. I am very blessed in my present situation, but I pray that your post and these comments will stir in my heart and in those of others the love this world so desperately needs. That we will really care and make an effort to have a practical compassion for people. As a Christian, I believe even the worst hell on earth is only temporary and limited to this life and that the best we can do is to live a life surrendered to the One who created us and to love our fellow humand beings exceedingly.

    Oh, yes, in your “ex-boss” Bill we have an excellent example of this – trying to make a difference. What a priviledge.

  • Pieter

    Hi Robert, this is why I subscribe to your blog, not because you are, I mean, were, with Microsoft. But because to me you set an example of trying to be a very real person in a very technological and driven world. I really appreciate that.

    Yes, we live in a fallen world with much hurt, and sometimes we don’t see it, or are not confronted with it. But when we are, we hurt so much, because we realise it could have been, or may one day be, ourselves that stand to be in that place of “hell”.

    Thank you for your honesty. I am very blessed in my present situation, but I pray that your post and these comments will stir in my heart and in those of others the love this world so desperately needs. That we will really care and make an effort to have a practical compassion for people. As a Christian, I believe even the worst hell on earth is only temporary and limited to this life and that the best we can do is to live a life surrendered to the One who created us and to love our fellow humand beings exceedingly.

    Oh, yes, in your “ex-boss” Bill we have an excellent example of this – trying to make a difference. What a priviledge.

  • Pieter

    Hi Robert, this is why I subscribe to your blog, not because you are, I mean, were, with Microsoft. But because to me you set an example of trying to be a very real person in a very technological and driven world. I really appreciate that.

    Yes, we live in a fallen world with much hurt, and sometimes we don’t see it, or are not confronted with it. But when we are, we hurt so much, because we realise it could have been, or may one day be, ourselves that stand to be in that place of “hell”.

    Thank you for your honesty. I am very blessed in my present situation, but I pray that your post and these comments will stir in my heart and in those of others the love this world so desperately needs. That we will really care and make an effort to have a practical compassion for people. As a Christian, I believe even the worst hell on earth is only temporary and limited to this life and that the best we can do is to live a life surrendered to the One who created us and to love our fellow humand beings exceedingly.

    Oh, yes, in your “ex-boss” Bill we have an excellent example of this – trying to make a difference. What a priviledge.

  • http://www.brick-labs.com/ Eric D. Burdo

    First, I have to agree with met (comment #1). There are some things you can do something about. And some things you can’t. There are many things that can be done for my situation.

    My private hell? Paying back school loans on the income I make (less than 35 a year)… while trying to support my wife and 2 children. AND be in their lives. From what I have found, what I am making is good money for the area.

    So, for now, we suffer through the insufficient income (think dark red (instead of “in the red/in the black”). Things are tight. And trying to buy a decent house is virtually impossible (by decent I mean 4 bedrooms with a 1 acre lot). Those run about 150k+. Can’t afford it with my income.

    What can folks do for me? Know anyone who wants a researcher in the hobby robotics area? The kicker? I need to work remotely. I don’t want to leave the area.

  • http://www.brick-labs.com/ Eric D. Burdo

    First, I have to agree with met (comment #1). There are some things you can do something about. And some things you can’t. There are many things that can be done for my situation.

    My private hell? Paying back school loans on the income I make (less than 35 a year)… while trying to support my wife and 2 children. AND be in their lives. From what I have found, what I am making is good money for the area.

    So, for now, we suffer through the insufficient income (think dark red (instead of “in the red/in the black”). Things are tight. And trying to buy a decent house is virtually impossible (by decent I mean 4 bedrooms with a 1 acre lot). Those run about 150k+. Can’t afford it with my income.

    What can folks do for me? Know anyone who wants a researcher in the hobby robotics area? The kicker? I need to work remotely. I don’t want to leave the area.

  • http://weblogs.asp.net/ Douglas Reilly

    The interesting thing about folks who ask things like “How are you?” is that they generally really do not want to know. I recently had a call about a survey related to my health insurance (which is a big deal for me as I am battling cancer, and cancer had the upper hand the day she called).

    She asked “How are you?” and I replied “Really feeling very badly today.” Her response? “Glad to hear it.” It took her a few moments to realize what I had actually said. I have had similar experiences when I am honest enough to say exactly how I am doing on those days when cancer or the treatment for the cancer is getting me down.

  • http://weblogs.asp.net Douglas Reilly

    The interesting thing about folks who ask things like “How are you?” is that they generally really do not want to know. I recently had a call about a survey related to my health insurance (which is a big deal for me as I am battling cancer, and cancer had the upper hand the day she called).

    She asked “How are you?” and I replied “Really feeling very badly today.” Her response? “Glad to hear it.” It took her a few moments to realize what I had actually said. I have had similar experiences when I am honest enough to say exactly how I am doing on those days when cancer or the treatment for the cancer is getting me down.

  • http://blog.yuvisense.net Yuvi Panda

    Does an annoying brother who keeps interrupting you while writing code count ? But I guess my stuff doesn’t count, I’m after all just a small kid writing code….

    You taught me a lot, and it’s paying me off : I’ve been able to persuade my school Principal into reviving our School Magazine, and I’ve completed two interviews as Editor… .Thanks dude, and one day, I hope that podcasting and Videoblogging would really reach India….

    Thanks dude, and do come down to India sometime…. There are plenty of opportunities for Vlogging and Podcasting here, driven out of reach only by the cost factor….

  • http://yuvipanda.blogspot.com Yuvi

    Does an annoying brother who keeps interrupting you while writing code count ? But I guess my stuff doesn’t count, I’m after all just a small kid writing code….

    You taught me a lot, and it’s paying me off : I’ve been able to persuade my school Principal into reviving our School Magazine, and I’ve completed two interviews as Editor… .Thanks dude, and one day, I hope that podcasting and Videoblogging would really reach India….

    Thanks dude, and do come down to India sometime…. There are plenty of opportunities for Vlogging and Podcasting here, driven out of reach only by the cost factor….

  • http://infocus.wordpress.com/ Paul B

    Five years ago my father was diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis, a terminal illness that effects the lungs. For that period I’ve slowly watched him dying, seeing him get weaker and weaker by the day. My personal hell was witnessing a mans demise, who has done so much for me and there was absolutely nothing I could do for his health.

    About 2months ago we got a call from the Hospital saying that they had a lung donor. Less than 12hrs later a donor had given my father a 2nd chance at life. What a wonderful gift to give. Truly a miracle.

    The experience inspired me to blog about the process, for the moment we got the call and every step along the way. Now Dad continues to blog now he’s out of hospital.. go check it out.. it’s an amazing read.

    http://benbrian.blogspot.com

    These sorts of moments in life just reiterate the fact you can’t take a day for granted. Every second counts. It’s not such a matter than you need to be successful, or you need to get that job, or you need to be better than the person sitting next to you.. it’s about being content with the person you are. Being able to go to bed at night with a clear conscience that you’re doing something with your life.

    My parter at work, Pragnesh (an Indian), taught me something very special a few years ago.. he said this “In the Western world we tend to look at the people above and say ‘Oh I wish I had what they have.’.. which tends to cut us down. In India we do the opposite, we look at the people below us and we thank God for everything we have”. A great philosophy that has touched my life.

    Now in the mornings I wake up and I say a few words to myself when I look in the mirror. You might have heard of them before, they’re from the movie Coach Carter.

    Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. It’s not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

    Sorry for the extremely long post Robert but you got me thinking! = )

  • http://infocus.wordpress.com/ Paul B

    Five years ago my father was diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis, a terminal illness that effects the lungs. For that period I’ve slowly watched him dying, seeing him get weaker and weaker by the day. My personal hell was witnessing a mans demise, who has done so much for me and there was absolutely nothing I could do for his health.

    About 2months ago we got a call from the Hospital saying that they had a lung donor. Less than 12hrs later a donor had given my father a 2nd chance at life. What a wonderful gift to give. Truly a miracle.

    The experience inspired me to blog about the process, for the moment we got the call and every step along the way. Now Dad continues to blog now he’s out of hospital.. go check it out.. it’s an amazing read.

    http://benbrian.blogspot.com

    These sorts of moments in life just reiterate the fact you can’t take a day for granted. Every second counts. It’s not such a matter than you need to be successful, or you need to get that job, or you need to be better than the person sitting next to you.. it’s about being content with the person you are. Being able to go to bed at night with a clear conscience that you’re doing something with your life.

    My parter at work, Pragnesh (an Indian), taught me something very special a few years ago.. he said this “In the Western world we tend to look at the people above and say ‘Oh I wish I had what they have.’.. which tends to cut us down. In India we do the opposite, we look at the people below us and we thank God for everything we have”. A great philosophy that has touched my life.

    Now in the mornings I wake up and I say a few words to myself when I look in the mirror. You might have heard of them before, they’re from the movie Coach Carter.

    Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. It’s not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

    Sorry for the extremely long post Robert but you got me thinking! = )

  • http://blog.yuvisense.net Yuvi Panda

    Sorry. I didn’t read all those comments…. Compared to what all those people had undergone, I’m in heaven. Just knowing about that makes me grateful… Sorry if I sounded insensitive…..

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