Never meet your heroes
Hi,
I'm Brandon.
In this blog post , I will be writing about the personal reasons behind my involvement in tech communities
When they said never meet your heroes - they had a point. The heartbreak that usually follows when you realise how flawed your idols are , is something I am still recovering from. And then I realise that I too , am one of them. And that disappoints me further.
Breaking the veil
'He is cooking.' , I have lost count of the number of times I have heard those words. On LinkedIn. In front of an audience. Or in some rooms that I never imagined I would even get in. One would think I'm Ramsey Gordon - but I am not. Far from it. I am just the embodiement of the story about stone soup.
Stone Soup story...
Here is my summarisation of the story , long ago a hungry traveller came across a village where there was hunger. All the villagers all had something different , but it wasn't adequate enough to feed their family. Let alone , the hungry villager too. Being cunning ,the villager told evryone that he was going to make stone soup (I think that is the original scam, lol). So he lit a fire , filled a pot with water and started stirring. Everyone gathered around to see the madness and after a while , the stranger was like , 'hey guys , soon my soup will be ready , can someone give me some salt?'. Out of curiosity somebody did , and maybe some spice too. And I guess they might have asked for a few things too.
Until one thing happened. Someone was like , 'Umm buddy , this looks promising - can I add my carrots too , and then we could maybe share the soup?' . Another did the same with tomatoes , another with onions and within some time the entire village was contributing something.... And the soup they made was enough to feed everyone.
The parralels
When I started my journey in tech communities , I had nothing. And all that I became - was because of the combined efforts of so many people I worked with , initiatives we jumped on and the support that we gave each other.
Over time , I got active within the different communities , giving my all and a bit more because I believed that together we would eat. Twenty ideas would always be better than one. Fifty minds would dwarf efforts of a genius. And one big family would always have a chance against whatever disadvantaged us..
So over time , I did my part. I stirred , I begged and I got a few people interested. The game gave me relevance , I gave it servitude - and for some time , it was a fair trade.
The game gave me relevance , I gave it servitude.
Time and time again , I have always reminded everyone that there is nothing special about me. I am not a 10x developer , I am not the greatest speaker there ever was. But I am always there to make sure we all eat. Ochestration. That's my role.
So if you ever meet me , don't be disappointed. And surely don't be in awe . I. Am. Just. Like. You. If not worse - simply a kid that is still stirring. Even long after everyone else has gone.
Why that matters
Well , if we were to be honest , the tech industry in Zimbabwe is not so good. Everything is fragmented. The research , the money , the talent and the community. All I simply try is to make sure that we borrow a bit from each section. And I salivate at what could be. I will always try - because I owe everything I am to this game. From my first talk , my first flight , some of the loves (and heartbreaks ) , my first job and my first mentors. The only way to repay back is to keep giving back.
So never meet your heroes if you are not ready to accept that they too , bleed. I am not the only one , lol. There is so many of us. As long as you accept that we are human , and recognise that we all gave this game something - you will realise that you too can give back something. So that the stone soup tastes better.
Signed
Yours Truly
Let's connect via the following platforms : LinkedIn, on X as @Rogue0015, or check the Sessionize speaker profile if you want this signal live on your stage. And if you're new here, start with the talks — this blog is their echo.