It can be mortifying to realize that yes, you are the root cause of a problem.

It’s also one of the few clear-cut ways to learn from your mistakes.

Running into an old, buggy commit gives you the chance to debug both the code and your thought process.

This is why the Git blame history is one of my favorite learning tools. It’s like having a rewind button for your thoughts, “What was I thinking 6 months ago?“.

Even if you don’t have the cleanest Git commit history, there are usually some clues left behind via GitHub comments or diffs between commits that make it pretty clear; 6 months ago you were an idiot. That’s why there’s now a bug in your code.

xkcd 1296, git commit

Debugging your thought process is the gift that keeps on giving.

Not only do you solve your bug in the code, but you also create a framework better decision making. Best of all, you can share your newfound perspective with others and they can, in turn, share it even more broadly.

It’s the infectious benefit of a new perspective; everyone and anyone can benefit.