Little gods

Recently, I posted on Facebook about the community effort building around a program called Proton that was recently released by Valve. As it often happens when you post something on social media you have your fair share of responses, some of them are positive, others not so much. The public discourse is good, when its civil, when it is detached from personal attacks. I think most of us enjoy a good argument on philosophical differences whether its over religion, politics, or even technology. In this particular post, which I expanded to a full article here on the STEEM network (here) , I expressed my appreciation for the communities that are built around Linux and how quickly they mobilize when a task is given to them. This post, which ended with "1000 more reasons for windows users to consider ditching Microsoft", in retrospect may have been too much for at least one person's little god.

Now, I want to make it clear this is not about real religion, about higher powers, or about what we believe at the core of our being. However, this is about faith, about allegiance, and our tribal natures. How they shape our view of the world, and how they affect every aspect of our lives. I will use religious allusions throughout this post, this is not meant to elevate or diminish any faith, but to draw parallels between the two.

Little gods are simply anything that we identify with that directly impacts how we interact with the world around us. This could be a political party, a lifestyle, a gender, a sexual orientation anything that defines us as person. We form these little gods naturally in our pursuit of self image. They are passed down from parent to child, collected from friends and family, but the most powerful, the most sacred of these little gods are those that we make ourselves.

I've taken time to know my little gods, I'm even still passionate about a few. I know where they came from, and how they shape my opinions of others. I know what sets them off, and how I will respond to those that intentionally tread upon my little gods. More importantly, I've learned how to let some of them go, and how to tell when I'm starting to form a new one.

Little Gods

Those to keep

• Community
• Balance
• Family
• Equality
• Freedom
• Value over Worth

Those to let go

• Brands
• Political Parties
• Pursuit of money

Of those to let go the hardest for me is the last, and to be clear I have no issue with making money or doing a job to make ends meet, but to pursue money as if its something more than just a means to an end is perverts my sense of how the rest of the world works. So for those that read this, what are your little gods? Have you been able to let them go? Which do you find important?

P.S. The picture doesn't really go with the post. It's one of my original works and was named "Anger." If you like it I have a few others and might be willing to share the instructions if the demand is high enough.