Why?

Yesterday’s blog talked a little about my commentary. Today I want to focus a bit on why I do this in the first place.  Probably I've written about this before but I don’t recall.

I write a blog for these reasons:

-It helps me be calm when I least feel it

-It keeps me disciplined in my thinking. Just try to explain something; write it

  down to see if you can keep it coherent. Not an easy job. But taking a stab at it

  helps clarify the thinking, the logic, and the expression in logical phrases.

-The more I write about a topic, the more I realize I don’t know. It is considerable

  – what I don’t know. This is a practice in humility. I make mistakes and let it all

  hang out in public.

-Eventually the humility forays help me clarify my thinking and I get it right.

  Hopefully!

-Writing about a problem is my way of getting involved; I think we should all get

  involved. If I’m not willing to do so then I cannot expect others to do so.

-Attempting to say something is an act of invitation to others to make the same

  attempt. It hopefully encourages honest sharing of feelings and thinking without

  worrying about being right all the time. This is healthy communication – the

  give and take that eventually leads to understanding.

Bottom line? I write the blog to understand myself better. Some topics already upset me, or at least the way others react to them. I am ready then to vent my frustrations and at least make a stab at explaining an issue in a way that makes sense to me.

So venting is also a purpose of the blog. I no longer bottle up frustrations and let them poison me. I find both release and serenity in writing a blog. It is healthy emotionally.

What surprises me is writing a blog also articulates my thinking on a wide range of topics. I am not nearly as liberal as I sometimes think I am, or what others think about me! And I am not as easily painted into a conservative corner either, for that matter.

I have come to appreciate community. Dearly so. The simple act of living with others in a contained space – whether in a building or neighborhood, or small town. So much of what we individually value comes directly from the sense of community we share. We do not always know this. We don’t even know how to put it into words. It is that subtle.

Community: shared faith in living lives in close proximity with one another while gaining a sense of self as well as a sense of community. It is a special dynamic. From our first sharing a room with a brother or sister, to placement in dorm rooms at college, to encamping several tents among friends in a campground. We share something very personal without losing our identity. We gain something – reliance on others. In time we come to value that and realize we have grown because of it.

No man is an island. I know that from examining my own life. Have you?

If not, perhaps you should try a blog!

July 22, 2014