Blogging... what's the point? Does anyone read what is written? Is there anything that hasn't been said by thousands of others already? Just because we can, should we blog?
Those are the type of questions I find myself asking, and as a result my motivation for actually writing something on this page diminishes as I imagine the cosmic yawn that will ensue. Yet here I am again, because I realize that whether anyone reads what I write or not, the point is to write. To express myself, and in a small way connect with me if with no one else.
Today I write realizing how disconnected I am from my past. I am so busy living today (not a bad thing) that I have little opportunity to remember where I have been or to imagine where I am going. I got news through Facebook that my sister-in-law had a stroke yesterday. Hooray for Facebook, but what about the personal touch? Why have I allowed myself to drift off into this lonely place where I hear of people I care for only through social media postings.
TIME magazine just published an in depth article about Facebook and social media describing how it changes how we connect. In some ways it has expanded our horizons and yet I believe it has given us a false sense of community. Teens (at least the teens I'm around) would rather text one another than talk to one another. Is this a positive step? Bloggers would rather post our rants and raves online rather than simply talk to someone about what we think. Have you noticed how people won't really talk to one another about issues face to face anymore, but are happy to put their opinions out there in cyberspace? Is this good?
So, as I make a renewed commitment to blog each week, I am also making a commitment to pick up the phone, and talk to people, arrange for a lunch together, to look people in the eye and ask them what is really going on. Blogging and social media have a place, but they shouldn't be the only place where we get in each other's face.
Peace,
Pal
