D'vorahDavida
Yetzirah

In my diary reading, here at Dear Diary and elsewhere on the net, I have compiled a few, well more than a few, thoughts from other people. Including many of your comments on the subject.

Believe it or not, blogging was discussed this week when I went to see my therapist. She has a colleague who has issues with people putting their private thoughts and lives on the internet for public view. And we decided that there are certainly risks involved. But my therapist thought that the benefits outweighed the risks. And obviously, so do we. :-) Her only caution was "moderation in all things". Now on that front, some of us may have work to do!

We all have different comfort levels as to just how much detail we are willing to go into, that's for sure. And to tell the truth, I have my own comfort levels as to how much detail I want to read!

Enough of this, on to the comment digest. Here's what you had to say about blogging:

"I just wanted to write, then I discovered friends here."

"I am a bit overwhelmed by how much the blog means to me."

"It's an outlet that became a connection, with people of different ages, giving insight and wisdom."

It's easy to feel insignificant in this world. I want to be heard and my opinion taken into account."

"I like writing for a small circle of friends."

"It's a window into other's worlds."

"We get to meet people we never would have in real life. Friends are like family."

"I just come here to write and rant. I like to make friends and read those funny stories. It's entertainment at it's best. It's also a place to discover yourself, work out your problems with the support of friends. Get suggestions and give advice.

These are all powerful reasons to begin a blog and continue to write in one. What rattles around in my brain is the question: Have people always been this way, or is there something particularly stressful about the age we live in that makes this activity is so compelling? I especially resonated with the person who said that they wanted their opinion taken into account. This could come from watching people on TV reaching millions, and getting their message out. But how could we do that? Blogging gives us a voice in the public square, that's how. And a more thoughtful, complete, and in depth voice than the ones we hear on television. While they are becoming the masters of the sound bite, some of us are becoming masters of the "deep think".

(A great example of the sound bite is a blurb on Fox News channel called, "Around the World in 80 Seconds". They do this ridiculous whirlwind overview of things that are going on all over the world. They use a WHOLE 80 seconds to accomplish this feat!
And then spend 45 minutes talking about the Scott Peterson (ptu ptu) trial!
Oh the folly of it all!) . . . . end rant.

Communities used to be smaller and more stable. Now they are huge and people move so often, I think we feel fragmented and lost sometimes. It's a basic human need to want connections. But on the other hand, in ages past, people wrote letters, had pen pals etc. It just took a lot longer to get answers back and forth. In this medium, we can get a response to what we have written in minutes. That's pretty heady stuff!

Now to another point of view.

I ran across a diary while doing a Weblog Review some time ago and recently came across a couple of entries in his blog. Evidently he had decided to stop writing for various and sundry reasons and said an official goodbye. But a week later, he was back. This is what he wrote about his "comeback":

"I couldn't do it.

I tried as hard as I possibly could. I made a resolution to abandon this page like last week's trash... give it up entirely. I was able to do it for a full week, but the feeling came back again like a recovering alcoholic craves that drink of whiskey after finding himself in the middle of a crowded bar on a Saturday night.

I fought the urge over and over again. I didn't want to go back on my statement of not returning, but I had to do something. I went as far as writing somewhere else - under an assumed name - in the hopes that I could find the fulfillment I had found here for the last 2 years. In an odd sort of way, I found it to be the emotional equivalent of cheating on your wife. It was gratification in a way, but I kept thinking of where I was really supposed to be the whole time.

So here I am again, standing on the doorstep with flowers in hand waiting for my love that is SuperSteve.Org to welcome me back with open arms. I've said I'm sorry... I've been let back in... now it's time to get re-acquainted.

I had all but forgotten that I was supposed to be writing for me.

I got carried away with trying to keep everyone happy. Silly things like Tuesday Night Titans (as fun as it was) popped up, and basically didn't fit what this page was about at all. I kept trying to think of ways to keep things "new" and "fresh", but it started to become an awful lot like work. Because I wasn't getting paid for the work, I just said "screw this" and quit because it wasn't fun anymore. I want to make it fun again for me. Just write what I feel like writing, and not really care whether or not people will visit to read it. If you do, fantastic... if not, ah well, I'll get over it. "

And in another excerpt:

"I'm not sure what I set out to accomplish when I started this page, but I think I accomplished it nonetheless. I've managed to have over 100000 visitors, made friends with some incredible people, learned a lot about myself, learned a lot about others, and completed a few pieces of writing that I am immensely proud of - hell, this page even got me fired! I always wanted to "write", but never really thought I could until this page... I'm still not sure I can, but I at least have a better feeling about it thanks to you all."

(Used by permission)

You can check out his blog at: Super Steve

In any case, we seem to have an encyclopedic list of reasons to write. And in reference to the earlier article by Mena, I guess I fall into the egoist category. I wanted my words "out there". I didn't want my stories to sit gathering dust in the "Little Desk in the Cupboard".

You know, I had a dream once. At the time it was quite disturbing. I was walking along a low grassy cliff by the sea. It was an overcast day and the wind was blowing.
I had all my writings in a leather folder. I opened it for a moment to look for something, and all my pages flew out into the wind and scattered high into the sky and on the grass and out into the water. (Being the anal retentive, neatnick who buys hardbound journals on purpose so just such a disaster never happens.... this was a nightmare.

But I have lived to see my "nightmare" come true. My words are being scattered on the seas of cyberspace. Who knows where they will end up? Who knows what people will think of them? Who knows if it will make a difference in the world? I don't have control of that part. But I do make the choice to let them fly. In the words of a very beloved and famous poet.......

" And that has made all the difference."

So my friends....I leave you today with this heartfelt admonition:

"Write On!"