Are Programmers Prisoners or Architects?

One guy on Reddit asked if ‘being a software engineer feels like being a prisoner.‘ It got me thinking.

Let’s get philosophical here for a sec. Being a prisoner is more a state of mind than just being confined to four walls. When you compare the life of a typical prisoner to that of a Buddhist monk, you’ll notice that prisoners usually have more privileges than a typical monk. Ajahn Brahm famously explained this after he visited a prison: “Any place you don’t want to be is a prison.”

Now, let’s talk about coding. Picture this: you’re at your keyboard, building an entirely new world in your mind. Your work is this incredibly abstract, almost magical process. You start to live in that work, your fingers dancing over the keys like a maestro conducting a symphony. For hours, most of your mind stops reacting to input from the physical world. Your mind roams free in the new virtual world you’ve created. It’s like being the architect of the Matrix, but with less leather and more coffee.

So, yeah, coding might feel a bit like being a prisoner sometimes, especially when the bugs are relentless, and deadlines loom. But really, it’s more like being a prisoner with a key to your own cell, where the cell happens to be an epic fantasy world of your own making. It’s a mental adventure with the occasional dragon (or, you know, a really stubborn line of code).

In the end, whether you feel trapped or free as a bird is all in your head. And if you’re ever feeling too confined, just remember: you can always turn off your computer, step outside for a walk, and maybe even sit in meditation for a while. Trust me, your virtual world will still be there when you get back.

Video version:

“The Monk who went to prison - Ajahn Brahm“: