A Pause for Perspective

I have been writing this blog now for several months and thought it might be appropriate to step back and think about the blogging process. For me, starting this blog was a running leap into the deep end of the pool. I had no idea what blogs were really for. I had no idea what I would write. And, I had no idea if anyone would read it. Since then I have gotten a much better understanding.

On the first question, what blogs are for, the answer is that blogs are for a lot of things. But, I think the best way to think about a blog is a private journal made public. Then asking what a blog is for is like asking what a private journal is for. A private journal is just a way to record your thoughts and, in doing so, get them in order. Some people may use a private journal to record events of the day. Others may take on deeper topics. In this blog, I have taken on deeper topics, probably too deep for most readers. But, the truth is that my private journals contain exactly the same kind of thing. I use writing to sort out my ideas. And now I am using the blog for the same thing.

On the question of what to write about, I decided, as suggested in the previous paragraph, to write about what I was thinking about. I do not expect people to read this blog as it is written. As I formulate ideas and express them to other people, I am often asked where they can read more about the ideas. Eventually some of these ideas will be sorted out and formalized. They will appear in print usually in academic articles. But there is a long way between and idea and a paper. And many compelling ideas fall off along the way. A blog is a net to catch all those ideas that despite their worthiness fell off along the way. I write about what I am thinking about. And putting it into a blog gives other people access to my private journals.

This brings us to the third question, who will read it. I was initially disturbed that there were no comments on my postings. Then I realized why. I had the settings so that people couldn't comment. However, I think most people are reluctant to comment anyway because the ideas are weighty and intimidating. However, I know people are reading because it comes up in conversation. I will be talking about some thing and somebody will say, yes you mentioned something about that in your blog.

Most blogs are like fresh bread. They have a shelf life of a few days and if not consumed with in those days, they have limited value after that. But, I put a lot of work into my thoughts and into my blogs. I view them has having a much, much longer shelf life. People will often ask me how I came up with a particular idea. Now, I can say go back and look at my blog from x months ago, maybe even x years ago and you can see how the idea evolved.

I know what I am writing is not for everyone and even for those who do like it they can probably only take it in small doses. I am fine with that. I enjoy baking the bread and you can enjoy consuming it when you are hungry and at your leisure.