One of the great stories in our family's shared memory is the time that my college roommate came over for a family meal. He is a self conscious gent, and was well aware that he was the only outsider present. So as we sat down to eat, my younger brother Bartolo (who continues to have the ability to identify weakness in others) silently regarded Bobby for a few seconds. Bobby, increasingly nervous under my brother's gaze began shifting in his seat and nervously avoiding eye contact. Finally my brother spoke: "Bobby, why are you here?" Bobby still (17 years later)seems a bit crestfallen over the memory.
Years later, Admiral Stockdale would ask that same question in a vice-presidential debate. So I want to try to answer that question in this entry. I have struggled a bit with trying to find my voice over the last few months. On the one hand I have been reenergized by the discussion for the last six months going on among Young SBCers. I was pretty well burned out for the last 10 years by the politicking, but I have enjoyed the signs of life among the coals of the conservative resurgence. But I’m not sure how much I have to add to the discussion.
George Orwell wrote a short little essay called “Why I Write.” In it, he identifies four reasons why people write:
(1) Sheer ego (3) Historical impulse
(2) Aesthetic Enthusiasm (4) Political Purpose
I think that these four reasons would fit most of the blogs I read. Coffeespoons will focus on the initial three reasons. I do want to focus on mostly our lives (ego) but in a compelling (and ideally humorous) way (aesthetic). I would love to write about a character like G. Burlymofo for example!! I also want to keep a record of events around here. But I do enjoy the way that words fit and go together, so perhaps there will be an aesthetic element in here sometimes too (the historical).
So I am returning a bit to the first post, I will write mostly about our little lives here in the deep south. Not because they are exceptional, but because they are so typical. I hope that others can relate. Ultimately, our lives fashion into a testimony of our creator, and I hope to be able to say, like my reformation fathers, Sola Gloria Dei.
4 comments:
Hmmmm - I'm not sure why I blog...or whatever it is that I do. I think I mainly do it because it makes me laugh. And I like to laugh. Does that fit into your equation?
I'm fairly confident that Orwell shared your disturbing passion for monkeys.
I sometimes worry about the devaluation of the written word due to ubiquitous blogging. While I see its usefulness and possibilities for bringing enjoyment, I wonder how much it sometimes just adds to the noise in the world, further cluttering the modern mind. I guess that's why I don't blog; I don't think I have anything worth sharing to write on a regular basis...but I do like to laugh and monkies have been too long left out of the conversation, so what do I know, anyway...Bartolo
PT Girl,
I enjoyed reading your comment in Homer Simpson's voice (stupid dial up service)
Bartolo,
I wonder (and this is not a slam, I really am wondering) if people said the same things about books back in Gutenberg's day? Or back in the first century as they transitioned from sequentially reading scrolls to randomly accessing books?
It will be interesting to see how things like blogs, MySpace and YouTube continue to shape and affect culture.
But you want white noise? Listen to talk radio. At least on blogs there is the appearence of a conversation.
Post a Comment