Share In The Blame

In 2007 I spent most of the summer in the desert flight testing a sensor system in the back of a C-130 (incidentally, our test aircraft was used a few years later in the filming of the opening scene of The Dark Knight Rises). During my off-hours there wasn’t much to do in town, so I listened to quite a bit of music, including this particular album:

The message of this song is one I believe applies to many areas of life, software development not the least. As I said yesterday, in any situation where a mistake is made, no matter who committed the error, it’s a worthwhile effort for everyone involved to consider what they could have done differently. The way I figure, to admit absolutely no responsibility is to relinquish the one bit of control I do have over a situation, namely myself. And that’s a power I’m unwilling to give up.

It can be scary to live in a state of constant self-evaluation, but I find it freeing. It’s the mark of deep-seeded insecurity when one is unable to admit his own faults.