Pyry JahkolaMar 28
Ashe Dryden 🙆🏼‍♀️🐈🐈‍⬛
I really appreciate the vulnerability that comes with writing something like this and releasing it to the public. We need to do a better job of recognizing these traits and supporting one another. 💕
https://kennethreitz.org/essays/2026-03-18-open_source_gave_me_everything_until_i_had_nothing_left_to_give
Open Source Gave Me Everything Until I Had Nothing Left to Give

I thought I was having a spiritual awakening. I was having a psychiatric emergency. I was at a tech conference in Sweden when it started. I hadn't slept in...

Kenneth Reitz
Mar 27 at 1:42pmWeb
Show threadAndré PolykanineMar 27
@Ashedryden I've not read the article but I've already recognized the name. It's the author of Requests for Python!
Show threadDeborah Preuss, pcc 🇨🇦Mar 27
@Ashedryden that's beautifully written. Thanks for sharing it.
Show threadAlex BallMar 27
@Ashedryden So much insightful writing on there. Thank you.
Show threadAshe Dryden 🙆🏼‍♀️🐈🐈‍⬛Mar 27
@polarweasel oh I didn’t write it! Just sharing it 💕
Show threadAlex BallMar 27
@Ashedryden Yup! I could’ve been a bit clearer there for sure 😆
Show threadMichael McCune ☮️Mar 27

@Ashedryden even without having a similar diagnosis as Kenneth, this hits way too close to home.

i also agree about the vulnerability, and i think writing this piece shows incredible courage. i applaud Kenneth in the strongest terms and wish him health for the future.

Show threadStephen Bannasch (316 ppm)Mar 27

@Ashedryden

“The things that make you a great open source contributor (hyperfocus, intensity, pattern recognition, the ability to hold entire systems in your head) overlap significantly with the things that make certain psychiatric conditions both more likely and harder to detect. The community will celebrate your output without ever asking what it costs you to produce it. That's not malice. It's just a system that optimizes for code, not for the person writing it.”

Show threadSalvador B. SpunkyMar 27
@Ashedryden thank you for sharing this article, it reminds me of some people I know!
Show threadsaxnotMar 29
@remindme 2026-03-30
Show threadRemind MeMar 29
@saxnot Ok, I will remind you on Monday Mar 30, 2026 at 12:00 AM UTC.
Show threadRemind MeMar 30
@saxnot Here is your reminder!
Show threadKarel 'Clock' K.Mar 31

@Ashedryden "I sold my twenties to a corporation." -- well if they didn't sell them to a corporation, they would lose them different way. It's called aging.

I tell people, "don't age".