[digsmahler]

This is a really touching open response to an inner demon that I, and many people, wrestle with. Like Alan, I too have childishly and bitterly demanded recognition from what seems like a cold and uncaring world. But seeing the system from within, it's just a bunch of people like me, working to make and find awesome things as best they can. It fills me with hope to know that our communities, online and otherwise, are created by and for ourselves. We don't have to be separate and lonely Alans, instead with some nurturing and care we can enjoy our time in the company of peers.