Harold
This is a very provoking post - I think that so long as we aspire to be in the top 2% we will fail to meet our own needs.

I am not sure but my gut tells me that the new starts with expectations - say an artist - if you want to be Picasso then you have to play the game. If you want to be "successful" in our field join Dachis or Altimiter.

There is a complete fit to the corporate world needed to have "success' of that type I think.

But what if you want to make a living as an artist - the open source world suggests that you split your life into what pays and what gives you reputation. It also suggest that you get you costs way way way down.

This is what my son is struggling with right now and I bet you and I.

The thing that you, I and James all know is that no matter how ghastly our rewards are we can't go back and take the King's Shilling.

So what do we do?

Build our own organizations - food - education/kids.

Will we get the corporate world to see us and what we know as valuable - never!

Dachis will get paid handsomely for the pretense - but I could not do that work.

Every day, as I work with people who are on the other side of the line I see the gulf widening.

I am rambling H but you have got me going!!!