+++
title = "Intentions"
author = ["Colin"]
date = 2018-08-19T00:00:00-04:00
tags = ["intention"]
categories = ["thoughts"]
draft = false
+++

The idea here, cribbed from Bryan Cantrill's talk on oral traditions in software
development, is the importance of making as clear as possible your intentions
when you do things. Often I feel as though intention gets a bad rap. The road to
hell, and what-not. But the reality is that, if you are doing something, it is
best to do it with intention. God help us the things we do impulsively or
emotionally. Sometimes they work out alright, but it's usually best to go back
and see if we can learn why it happened. That's still applicable when doing
things intentionally, but because there was forethought, we are already a step
ahead.

Of course, what this really means is that we also need to make sure we document
our intentions. This is where we come back to Bryan's talk. It's not enough to
solve a problem, or build a product. You have to document the process that got
you there. In software, you leave your intentions via comments, documentation,
blog posts, podcasts, talks, or just conversations with co-workers and friends.
But one way or another, you should document what you set out to do and whether
you accomplished it. In the absence of this, we are really just throwing darts.
I'd wager dollars to donuts that few significant works were created by throwing
darts.

I'm currently reading the book _Sing, Unburied, Sing_ by Jesymn Ward. The most
disturbing aspect of one of the characters in Ward's brilliant story is the
complete lack of intention in her actions. Her internal governor appears to be
fueled entirely by impulse and emotion, leaving those around her hurt, confused,
angry and afraid. When humans act without intention, the results tend to appear
brutally selfish, even if the underlying logic is not. When we impulsively shoot
off an email, we have, by definition, not given it any thought. The
repercussions of such an action are hard to understand.

Thus, while the road to hell may indeed be paved with good intentions, it's
probably better than the road that's paved with impulsive and emotional
outbursts.
