I was gonna go full Joseph Knecht and write a huge detailed letter laying out this game's place in human history and its effect on me. Then I wasn't sure whether to write anything at all. I'll split the difference by keeping it short.
I have decided to leave the quizbowl community.
After nine and a half years in which this game-world gave so much to me and I gave so much to it, I look inwards and just don't find whatever it is that would let me reliably contribute to any future event, group, team, or discussion here. I prefer to take that reality as a cue to go, rather than to get more and more half-hearted and half-assed as time goes on. I may still visit an occasional future championship or jot down amusing question ideas, and I will definitely stay in touch with the many personal friends I've made here. But as new avenues for personal and intellectual growth start to come into view for me, the best thing I can do for myself now is follow them outward from here and see where they lead.
I have all due confidence that the current and upcoming generation will put its energy and zeal toward preserving this game and taking it forward in exciting future directions.
I regret that in much of my time here, I fell short of treating others with as much courtesy, decency, maturity, and restraint as I was capable of. I have no excuses to offer for that today. All I can do for each person I've wronged is apologize as sincerely as I can and dedicate the time and effort to doing better from here on out.
I have no idea what I'd be today without the life-within-a-life I had here. Best of luck and good night.
-Matt Jackson
