A feeling I have had a number of times this year, which deserves a longer write-up but for now a short one will have to do:

I feel that I have witnessed a great dispersion in outcomes between organizations that can function at 5:01 PM on Friday and those which cannot.

I know I'm next to a seismic fault in the tech community with this observation. It isn't primarily about the tech community, though I have observed the tech community's response to the same challenges everyone is dealing with.

That response has often included:

"OF COURSE we will work through the weekend on this. It is a matter of literal life and death."

There are organizations which did not make this choice, and are not making this choice. Including as we speak.

And I know the usual observations here; sucker for working if not paid, etc etc, yeah I get it.

But: If union rules or whatever prevent you from putting a needle in someone's arm or unblocking someone from doing so... should you be considering literally breaking in right now?

If you were a comptroller in charge of a state which can't do vaccinations for lack of money, shouldn't you be strongly considering embezzling literally any required amount of money from literally any account in your control, then presenting yourself for arrest in three months?

I think the high-percentage outcome is the problem gets paperworked over retrospectively, but the worst-case outcome, for you, is that you lose your job and are imprisoned.

That... is considered "acceptable losses" in many ethical systems, relative to saving one life?

Jumping on a hand grenade *is not just a metaphor.* It was not just a scene in Captain America. People *actually did that.*

Do we have the most effective controls in history, that is successfully defeating every would-be heroic act?

Apologies; I'm in more of a philosophical mood today than I usually am.