When PANDORA gave nothing (An excerpt from Closure of the Helpdesk) With every passing week, more bad news came out of Silicon Valley. The press was all over it again, covering it all on a daily basis, using every metaphor in the book: The dotcom meltdown was a tornado that had shown up from nowhere and destroyed everything in sight; it was a hurricane that had gathered momentum while nobody was paying attention and struck in full force by the time people realized what was going on; it was a tsunami that kept hitting several times in quick succession, with each wave deadlier than the last; and it was a volcanic eruption that had changed the landscape forever. Every now and then the press ran a story on how even the rich had to get rid of their trappings—a private jet here, a luxury yacht there. Occasionally, the media’s “human interest stories” touched on the lesser mortals, too, the real workhorses of the Valley, who had to give up a new car here, take a pay cut there or lose the job altogether. * * * * * Sam looked at the phone. The caller ID said it was his father. “Hey, Junior Ranger, what’s going on with you? Staying out of trouble?” “Dad, there’s no way I can stay out of THIS trouble.” “Son, you moved to Silicon Valley because you wanted to change the world,” his father said. “With a goal like that, there’s got to be a setback or two.” “But it’s different when you live here and face it every day. I mean, you didn’t go through ANYTHING like this when you were my age.” His father was silent. “Sorry, Dad,” Sam said. “I didn’t mean that. I meant to say there was no UNCERTAINITY in your career. You always had—and you will always have—your army job.” “It’s okay, son, I’m old enough to take that. You’re right—I never had to doubt if I was going to keep my job the next day. But I spent a good three years of my life wondering if I was going to remain alive for the next hour. That kinda evens it out, don’t you think?” “Sorry, Dad. I guess I have it better than you did.” “Son, the question isn’t who has it better. The question is whether you realize what a blessing it is to be in your position.” “Blessing?” Sam said. “How is this a blessing?” “There comes a time in everyone’s life—and I do mean in everyone’s life—when you ask yourself what it is that you’ve been doing with your life. Sometimes you even realize that whatever you’ve been doing all your life, you’ve been doing it wrong. Dead wrong. Son, you want that realization to hit you when you’re 70? Or 50? Or when you’re still young, with your whole life still ahead of you?” Sam couldn’t think of anything to say. His head was spinning. “Are you there, son?” “Yes, Dad.” “You just have to begin a new chapter. No, no, make that a new book. What the heck, just leave the Valley if that’s what it takes to get you a new start.”
Posted on: Fri, 13 Sep 2013 11:37:56 +0000
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