# When Facebook responds to criticism you just know it’s because the powers that be are at least a little concerned.
Whether it’s because Chamath Palihapitiya’s comments came too soon after those from Sean Parker or because of the attention they garnered in the mainstream press I don’t know.
Yes, Facebook is a different company today than it was when Palihapitiya worked there but many would argue that it has not changed for the better. In fact, it’s more likely to be the complete opposite.
The blue behemoth is far more powerful, has much wider reach and exponentially greater influence than it did 6 years ago.
So when former cheerleaders aren’t just supporting the other team but calling the entire sport into question I’d be surprised if there wasn’t some form of damage limitation exercise.
Finding the reason
Patrick Rhone linked to a piece by Sarah K Peck on "silence, stillness and community" and I was so taken with it that I started to digest more of her blog.
In her previous post she writes about finding "something that turned my mind upside down."
Through detailing what it was that moved her so she became the catalyst for my own "something."
Consider this:
"It’s a relationship with the work that allows for the mystery to stay in the process. For the tantalizing feeling of not knowing, for the delight in the exploration."
And I realised where I've been going wrong. It cemented something in my mind that I've been skirting around but not fully grasping.
Sarah quotes that when we force ourselves into a routine the "discipline itself, not the creative outflow, becomes the point."
Yes, we need discipline to achieve our goals but forcing it upon ourselves above all else can be detrimental; we can end up resenting it and our work suffers as a consequence.
When I remarked that posting every day wasn't for everyone I didn't go far enough but Sarah's words hammered the point home.
There has to be a reason for showing up beyond doing so just to keep a streak going.
We need the mystery.
We don't need to gamify our lives in order to feel a sense of accomplishment; we need to reconnect with that delight, with the thrill of exploration when charting an uncertain course.
We need to spark the fires of curiosity and adventure, even in the mundane or routine, because there is a purpose for doing it.
If the only reason we can find is "because it must be done" then maybe we are on the wrong path and can no longer hear our inner-self shouting and screaming about its passions.
We must reconnect with that voice as, only then, will we remember why we do any of this at all.
tonybloggs says:
@colinwalker Nice post. "There has to be a reason for showing up beyond doing so just to keep a streak going." The gaps between posts are important too.
@tonybloggs Thanks Tony. Completely agree!