Matt Heusser’s Blog
Testing at the Edge of Chaos
On Virtue
It seems that lately the testingsphere has been all atwitter about standards of behavior and virtue. That is to say, that at the same time, we’ve got people talking about plagarism, inappropriate behavior, kindness and niceness.
But, waitaminute. If I hold ‘nice’ as a universal standard, what do I do when someone behaves in a way I find unacceptable? To call them on it seems to be well … not nice.
And so we’re stuck. Especially if the item is a threat to good work, and claims to be a standard or certification that has universal appeal. Then we’ve really got a problem, because to say nothing is it’s own sort of moral problem.
Obviously, I’m still thinking through how I feel about that.
When I was a cadet in Civil Air Patrol, we memorized, repeated, and were expected to live by the honor code of the US Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs:
“I shall not lie, cheat, nor steal, nor tolerate those among us who do. Furthermore, I resolve to do my duty and live honorably, so help me G*d”
I like those words. I want them to apply to any community of practice I participate in.
It occurs to me that throwing the bums out – being intolerant – is part of that honor code. That might not be perceived as being ‘nice’ as described in Lisa Crispin’s post. (Catherine Powell, who wrote ‘be nice’, above, points out to me that you can give criticism kindly. Can a judge in a courtroom do that? Should he?)
I’m looking for a different word, one that captures the meaning of what Lisa is getting at, but allows us to be ‘intolerant’ when called upon. In that, I am struggling.
Personally, the closest thing I have found so far are the four cardinal virtues. Put in my words:
Justice is treating others the way they deserve to be treated. This is different than fairness, which is treating everyone the same. If I give all the students in my database class a ‘B’; that would be fair. But it wouldn’t be just. Justice also means balancing our own self interest with the rights and needs of others.
Prudence means knowing what actions are right at a given time. That is to say, there are some things that might be just fine to do (borrowing an idea in order to test faster), but not in all situations (presenting it as my original work at a conference).
Temperance is generally associated with alcohol, and the ability to say “no thanks” or “i’ve had enough.” Stopping short with anything (too much food, too much sleep) due to some internal self-will demonstrates temperance.
Fortitude is simply courage. That means, you might be scared to do something, but you do it anyway. It might be standing your ground on the field of battle, or it might just be telling the truth when you are asked a tough question – or volunteer the truth when it is inconvenient to do so. Sometimes, it’s just being the first one to admit that the team won’t make the date.
So, while kindness and niceness are often prudent, I wouldn’t say they are always called for. Sometimes, the demands of justice require us to speak out about a problem – and the ones who do speak are the ones with the fortitude to do it.
Personally, I struggle most with temperance. I find it hard to deny myself a cup of coffee, and I’m fighting a constant battle with my waistline. (I seem to be holding my own, so to speak, which isn’t too terrible.) I find it far to easy to commit to one more magazine article, one more conference presentation, teaching one more college course. I’m over-booked, and that’s not good.
Quite honestly, this is not fair (or Just) to my family and my young children.
And, very painfully, I’ve decided to exercise some temperance. I have not requested renew of my teaching contract for the 2010 academic year. To be specific, I have requested non-renewal. This was a very painful decision for me, but if I want to continue my writing and speaking schedule, and treat my primary employer and family as they deserve, I think it was the right one.
Which leaves me with two parting thoughts. First, I’m interested in your thoughts of virtue – what moral and ethical forces guide your work. (Yes, we can do a post on metrics. Or twelve.) Secnd, I don’t want to be sad about leaving Calvin – I’d like to celebrate the work.
So let’s do that! Next year’s Conference for the the Association for Software testing will be right here on-campus, August 2nd-5th, 2010.
And you heard it first right here! Mark your calendars and start making plans; it’s going to be awesomez.
Comments (6)
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at December 14, 2009, 3:02 pm:
It’s too tempting to let yourself overwhelm from the all the helpfullness one may be providing. You make a good example to cut back on it, and I think this is good. The balance between job, family and leisure activities needs to be well, otherwise all suffer. Personally I decided to dive into some teaching next year, to make friendly contact with the materia. Let’s see, if I overwhelm myself with it.
at December 14, 2009, 6:43 pm:
Love is the virtue Jesus affirms as the highest of all virtues. It has been defined as “an unselfish, self-sacrificing desire to meet the needs of the one you love.”
The Bible’s first and foremost command is to love God and to love your neighbor like you love yourself.
And the apostle Paul spoke this way concerning love: “Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.”
This is what is required of us at work, with family, and toward God.
[I don't talk about my faith much here, but I certainly agree with Mr. Weir. In fact, that passage lists three virtues known as the three theological virtues. These complement the four cardinal virtues I wrote above. In the same letter Mr. Weir quotes, the apostle Paul lists them as Faith, Hope, and Charity (Charity is also translated Love). Paul refers to Charity as "the greatest of these."
He even goes so far as to write:
"If I speak in human or angelic tongues, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body [to hardship] that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.”
Charity is realized in that great commandment – to love our God, but to demonstrate that we do so by loving and serving our fellow man.
So let all the things we do be done with love.
When I was twenty years old, I was the cadet commander of a national special activity in Civil Air Patrol.
I got fired.
Having the guts to fire me was arguably the single greatest favor anyone has ever done me in my life. A wake-up call was exactly what I needed. I am grateful to Leo Lawrenson, who fired me, to this day.
So yes, let us do everything with Love. And, less us carefully examine what Love actually is, not just what’s easy, and what allows us to avoid confrontation.
Of course, I don’t claim to be perfect. I do claim to be on a pilgrimage.]
at December 15, 2009, 4:49 am:
What appears to be more of a problem than people being, “nice” is that I have noticed a fair number of testers who seem to have no understanding of fighting fairly. As a result, testing, as a discipline, suffers.
The article you’ve been working on with Alan Page is an example of what can happen when 2 people who disagree do their best to have a fair discussion. I hope this sets a precedent for others.
Good job on recognizing your work/life balance. It can be very tough to accept these types of limits.
at December 16, 2009, 11:40 am:
Hi Matt,
“But, waitaminute. If I hold ‘nice’ as a universal standard, what do I do when someone behaves in a way I find unacceptable? To call them on it seems to be well … not nice.”
I don’t think she means we can’t challenge people on stuff, just that you can choose to do so in an aggressive way, and a ‘nice’ way. Someway that leaves the person feeling self empowered rather than deflated. Naturally, a lot of this depends on that person’s self esteem which you cannot control. What you can control (and what she points out) is your own manner and approach.
[I understand what you're saying here, Anne-Marie, and I assert that sometimes, the single greatest kindness you can give a person is a wake-up call that some would describe as unkindly. Like dealing with an addiction, sometimes, the tough love is the best kind. ]
I’d like to see this as more of a heuristic than a definition.
[I'm with you on that one.]
Congrats on cutting back. It takes guts to do so and write about it.