Why blog?

I want to explore what I actually gain from this if anyone ever asks. Most of these blog posts are poorly written by any standards, often contradict themselves and have no real substance behind them. But they are fun to write.

writing to think

I want to write so I can articulate my views better. Writing is essentially thought put down on paper. You often don’t know what you think until you put it down on paper

The person who says he knows what he thinks but cannot express it usually does not know what he thinks. - Mortimer Adler

writing to learn

Best way to learn about a topic is to write about it

Commonly given advice is to write about what you do know. I disagree. Write about what you want to know.

critique your views

Write for posterity. You can look back and see how your views have changed It’s the phenomenon where you look back at your self 5 years ago and realise how stupid you were. Paradoxically in 5 years time, you want to be in the place where you look back and realise how stupid current you is.

Sure you can use social media, but I find this more personal. You can go into much greater depth on topics.

creative outlet

It’s a better way to spend your time than consuming. A little project I can keep running in the background of life.

Fears:

I have nothing original to say

the internet is all about unbundling and rebundling

I’m in the camp that there is nothing original under the sun. It’s all just unbundling and rebundling. Words are just maps pointing to reality.

it’s too personal

I don’t like sharing. I don’t like telling other people what to do. But one shift in perspective I had when starting this was to write for an audience of one. Write for yourself (current and future)

Plus you can maintain some amount of pseudonymity through writing. Writing paradoxically feels more personal than sharing photos, but also less invasive than sharing photos.

poor quality

Write fast bad and wrong. Then rewrite

I manoeuvred my way past this cognitive block through realising the way to get better is through repetition. Combined with ‘consuming good art’.

You can go back and update old posts - revising your views. I’m sure a lot of what I write will be at least partially embarrassing for future me.

What to write about

You have a set of unique experiences, a set of completely unique DNA interacting with a unique environment to produce unique ways of thinking and seeing.

So share your views.

More importantly, write to learn about topics you want to learn about.

Conclusion

Write to think better

I hope there is a Renaissance in blogging.

I think the space may have largely migrated to YouTube, with people sharing their views through vlogs rather than blogs

But personally, I think the barrier to entry is much lower with words.

If curious : I have a long list of blogs I semi-regularly read.