I’ve had my head down in the nuts and bolts of development for the past few weeks, coming up the learning curve one process at a time. The power of development tools, most of them collaborative, free and open source, is often jaw dropping. We lawyers have much to learn from the development community.
I’ve progressed from writing smart contracts to testing and debugging. I like debugging, but then again I considered spading law review articles a welcome break from law school academics. Debugging reminds me of learning golf, a popular pastime at my alma mater. Golf is an intensive lesson in frustration management. It’s hard to get good at golf, yet it is an addictive pastime for millions. What kept me going after the tenth worm-burner into the water hazard was the one beautiful shot and the rush of joy and accomplishment that came with watching the ball arc on exactly the right trajectory. The excitement of getting it right kept me going while failing miserably for the next eleven holes.
In debugging, like golf, cultivating patience and self-control is the key to putting all the pieces together. Yeah, we’re having fun now.