Why create?

_why is among the top 5 of the contemporary programmers that I respect the most. His code aesthetics and API design sensibilities are top notch. He is a true artist among coders.

If there is any Ruby programmer that the Perl community should follow, it is _why.

Can't agree with this at all.

Every person has the right to choose what they participate in, or of. If "narrow tastes" is somehow a sin that "excludes people", then I'm sorry; I'm going straight to hell due to the vast swathes of people I exclude. I don't happen to enjoy, for example, NASCAR, soap operas, gospel music, or table-top gaming.

It is nobody's place to tell me that I am somehow damaging others by doing so. Let alone to order that I should "compensate" by creating. I happen to be a creative person; I am a programmer. I make things for fun. But that's a choice as well. Whether I do or don't is entirely my privilege to decide. And for this "_why" character to make sweeping pronouncements on what all people must do is an insult to everyone's right of self-determination.

downlode,

Thank you for showing why the tweet is such a powerful thought reminder. The important thing to note - it never said who is hurt!

If you believe that you can have a happy and fulfilling life without ever having another new experience, then please go on doing that. I believe _why's point is that we all need to create so we can individually expand our horizons.

Further, whether you know who _why is or not (and I honestly don't) doesn't mean what they said is any less valid. In fact, by discounting their words, you've "narrow[ed] and exclud[ed] people" due to your tastes.

Though I agree that the act of creating is a good thing, and can improve the world around us, I have to say that the opposite is also true:

When you create things, you restrict your experience to your abilities. Take in the works of others; expand and test your tastes. Learn.