Today begins the new blog with a new set of principles to guide it. In my previous and sporadic ramblings, I have sought to write on various topics of presumably common interest or pose interesting problems and for the most part I’ve found these explorations of my internal psyche to be at least mildly amusing. Apparently some other people have as well. Unfortunately, while I’m busily espousing the validity of this or the insanity of that what has been lacking is the acquisition of new knowledge. I can, and have, been busily building up my own opinions into tidy little entries but during that time I haven’t really acquired any new information. There have been various positive outcomes in real life: people attempting to convert me to Christianity, some very diverting conversations and small pockets of agreement and new theories to some interesting questions. This is all well and good but at what cost does it come? While I’m variously outputting my own opinion I’ve forsaken the input that it takes to build new opinions.
The 60 to 90 minutes it takes to generate a blog entry that is probably of no interest to anyone but me could certainly be better spent in study of some sort. This is not to say that the act of creating the entries themselves is frivolous. It certainly does aid one in solidifying one’s thoughts to write it out in painstaking detail. The point is that at the end you don’t really know anything you didn’t know before. You’ve only massaged an existing belief into something which is 98% similar to what you had previously.
To the ends of building onto rather than merely rearranging my mental furniture, I begin the hybrid project to annotate a few key pieces of literature as I read them. No doubt the same sort of observations will be made as in the previous ramblings but in a context that allows me to also add to my own repertoire of knowledge while also massaging it into something more concrete as I go. Wish me luck.
2 comments:
Well, I would say it is entirely valid to write a blog entirely for yourself. I know "so many books, so little time," but I'd put introspection on an equal par with the "aquisition of new information," as you put it. And blogging entirely for your own benefit is a form of introspection. One easily referenced in the future too. And that can be commented on by others, perhaps enhancing your reflections. And I live for the "diverting conversations and small pockets of agreement and new theories to some interesting questions," every bit as much as I like to read new, interesting ideas.
But even as I question your rationale, having already read what you're talking here about doing, I have to say I like it and that you are definitely adding value, both to my thoughts and to the internet!
I understand where you’re coming from. Please forgive the nativity of this question; are you missing the point of blogging (interesting article on blogging
I think you’ve got lots to say. Your blog is all about you; yet, ultimately, it’s about everyone that reads it. Some people are born with a natural ability to look at the world through a different lens than the rest of us: I believe you are one of those people. People with something as valuable as a different paradigm have a responsibility to share it with the world.
While you and I are diametrically opposed on several issues it is the conversation that is so crucial to the advancement of mankind. Perhaps there is a bit of an overstatement to say that if you don’t write you could single-handedly be responsible for the fall of Western Civilization as we know it, but perhaps it’s not. What separates us from other cultures, from other species, is our self-awareness.
Imagine if Socrates had not engaged Cephalus and Polemarchus on the meaning
of justice and truth: I think you are underestimating the power of shared thought and conversation. I understand that you want to gain more knowledge, but just sitting down to express your own beliefs solidifies and fortifies your heart and mind on issues. It forces you to really focus on what you believe.
Anyway, if you chose to go down a different road, I’ll follow. We all know that my motives are not completely pure; I’m following to pull you in a different direction (see the end of the republic and the allegory of the cave if you’re really interested : ). I like to know what you’re thinking, even if I don’t always respond (remember that responding can be initimidating; we have to organize our thoughts and present them back to the world too). Don’t take my laziness as a sign that we’re not interested.
Thanks for taking the time to put this together and keep it up (no matter how frequently you get around to it).
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