A few times, someone else has written a book after me, on the same subject, that I don't consider as good as mine. I could feel envy if someone wrote a book on the same thing that is better. I don't really understand, though, what to call this feeling. I have no desire to write a book about something unless I feel that it is going to be the very best book on the subject. Needless to say, I am biased in favor of my own work and I think my ideas are correct, but it is not even that. If a smart person like Ignacio Infante disagreed with me, I don't really care. Maybe he might be correct. If a dumber person does, or does something similar to what I've done but not nearly as interesting, then I almost feel I should "pull rank."
If people do excellent work, I don't feel jealous. I feel good for the field. With work I don't think is good, I feel bad for the field as well as for myself if they cite me but without understanding. I don't feel as personally insulted as I used to, particularly by a guy who would say he got an idea from me, and then not cite me for it.
I used to get quite angry when I read positive reviews of bad books. Now I just shrug my shoulders.
No comments:
Post a Comment