Comments on: Programming and self de-programming http://www.indranet.org/programming-and-self-de-programming/ Technology, psychology, sexuality, society, spirituality Sun, 12 Oct 2008 05:24:25 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Ivo http://www.indranet.org/programming-and-self-de-programming/#comment-198 Ivo Wed, 19 Dec 2007 17:16:08 +0000 http://www.indranet.org/programming-and-self-de-programming/#comment-198 Thanks Robert and J. I'll keep update on your blogs as well. When I was a book publisher in Italy I published books about programming alongside books by Terence McKenna, Timothy Leary and Albert Hofmann on psychedelics and books about meditation. As an ex-programmer myself (sounds like being an ex-junkie in this context :-) I saw how programming, meditation and mind expanding substances (from coffee to psychedelics) are connected in a number of programmers. But most of the time I noticed that the quest was about expanding the mind capatibilites in a consumer way, as would be the thrill of a new software release. Where meditation is about silencing the mind, programming and drugs are mostly about being entertained by the mind, even though there are cultures where drugs are used in a spiritual and sacred way. I think though that the mind qualities of subtle discrimination and the observation, needed in software programming, can be useful as well in meditation and in self-observation. If a 180 degree turn is done. Thanks Robert and J. I’ll keep update on your blogs as well. When I was a book publisher in Italy I published books about programming alongside books by Terence McKenna, Timothy Leary and Albert Hofmann on psychedelics and books about meditation. As an ex-programmer myself (sounds like being an ex-junkie in this context :-) I saw how programming, meditation and mind expanding substances (from coffee to psychedelics) are connected in a number of programmers. But most of the time I noticed that the quest was about expanding the mind capatibilites in a consumer way, as would be the thrill of a new software release. Where meditation is about silencing the mind, programming and drugs are mostly about being entertained by the mind, even though there are cultures where drugs are used in a spiritual and sacred way. I think though that the mind qualities of subtle discrimination and the observation, needed in software programming, can be useful as well in meditation and in self-observation. If a 180 degree turn is done.

]]> By: j. http://www.indranet.org/programming-and-self-de-programming/#comment-194 j. Tue, 18 Dec 2007 02:27:19 +0000 http://www.indranet.org/programming-and-self-de-programming/#comment-194 Hello. I found your website via a comment you made on DoshDosh. Your essays are very insightful, and I had to comment on this one. I just finished taking a programming course and I also drew parallels between the detachment that exists in programming and meditation (which I've practiced for years). But I really related to your point about how many programmers experiment with mind-altering substances to reach another level of consciousness. In fact, I've had many lively discussions with programmer friends about meditation vs. drugs -- which is a "truer" path to deeper consciousness? It can be a fun debate. Fantastic website, thank you for sharing. Hello. I found your website via a comment you made on DoshDosh. Your essays are very insightful, and I had to comment on this one.

I just finished taking a programming course and I also drew parallels between the detachment that exists in programming and meditation (which I’ve practiced for years).

But I really related to your point about how many programmers experiment with mind-altering substances to reach another level of consciousness. In fact, I’ve had many lively discussions with programmer friends about meditation vs. drugs — which is a “truer” path to deeper consciousness? It can be a fun debate.

Fantastic website, thank you for sharing.

]]> By: Robert-Jan Elias http://www.indranet.org/programming-and-self-de-programming/#comment-186 Robert-Jan Elias Sat, 08 Dec 2007 13:25:32 +0000 http://www.indranet.org/programming-and-self-de-programming/#comment-186 Thank you for this interesting article. As a professional software programmer and long-time meditator, I recognise a lot of the things you say. In a nutshell, my main motives in software development are 'abstraction' and 'quality': Abstraction: It gives me a real sense of pleasure and beauty to extract abstract classes from concrete real-world classes in object-oriented environments. Boundaries between objects, fabricated by the mind, fall away and the non-duality of these objects arises in the place. Quality: Even if software behaves correctly on the outside, according to specifications, this is not good enough. The internal structure should be sound, logical and beautiful. This can only be accomplished if you almost integrate yourself into the source code. You become part of it and your software becomes your 'friend'. Furthermore I like the idea that software is on the one side so essential to its users and other side so volatile. What is software without its carrier (CD, memory or disk). It is a pattern needing a carrier to survive, jumping and replicating to other carriers, without loss of quality and not touched by time at all. Thank you for this interesting article. As a professional software programmer and long-time meditator, I recognise a lot of the things you say. In a nutshell, my main motives in software development are ‘abstraction’ and ‘quality’:

Abstraction:
It gives me a real sense of pleasure and beauty to extract abstract classes from concrete real-world classes in object-oriented environments. Boundaries between objects, fabricated by the mind, fall away and the non-duality of these objects arises in the place.

Quality:
Even if software behaves correctly on the outside, according to specifications, this is not good enough. The internal structure should be sound, logical and beautiful. This can only be accomplished if you almost integrate yourself into the source code. You become part of it and your software becomes your ‘friend’.

Furthermore I like the idea that software is on the one side so essential to its users and other side so volatile. What is software without its carrier (CD, memory or disk). It is a pattern needing a carrier to survive, jumping and replicating to other carriers, without loss of quality and not touched by time at all.

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