Florence de Beauvoir

I've been critical of Florence in the past, but she took a bold step today and I have to commend her for it. As the Foundation struggles to find itself in the Big City, we've been meeting plenty of new faces, learning lots of new titles, and tackling a gamut of new ideas. I've long been an advocate of professionalism in the WMF, and still believe that it is essential to really fulfilling the Foundation's mission. But professionalism can come at a cost, and with all the new hires, old-timers like me can only wonder whether these new people share that same devotion and idealism that got us through the early days.

What really propels us forward? Is it the sense of accomplishment in fulfilling some lofty mission, or is it the promise of a lofty paycheck at the end of the month? As someone who has experienced both, I can honestly say that the mission kept me going, even when the paycheck wasn't quite so lofty. And there are many, many others who have proven their mettle through trial by ordeal ... or worse, through trial by volunteering.

Wars scars come with war stories, and while the Old Guard has them in abundance, the new staff does not (yet?). Enter Florence to remind these new recruits of our intrinsic ideals. More than just some simple Board resolution, the values she suggested serve as a valuable history lesson for all of us, old and new alike, about why we are what we are. Most of all, it is a valuable lesson about what we want to be.

This is especially important as the Foundation totters on the cusp between adolescence and adulthood. We are still bound by the dreams of our youth, but as a wise French woman once wrote: "What is an adult? A child blown up by age" (Simone de Beauvoir).