I have been flirting with starting a blog for some time now. I haven’t actually started till now for a couple of reasons. I wondered what I would actually have to add to the conversation. There are thousands of experts blogging out there, with years of experience on any given topic. What can I say that hasn’t already been said?
Yet here I am, writing my very first blog post. I came to realize a few things that changed my mind. First, one needs to develop a voice. Merely thinking about issues, reading stories and blogs doesn’t cut it. I’m interested in a ton of things, primarily Technology, Politics, Films, Music, Philosophy, Literature, Anthropology, and a bunch of other things tangentially. One day I hope to become an expert something within one of these domains, and if I develop a voice now, I’ll be ready “on day one” to contribute to the conversation. When I wrote papers in school, I found that I would gather my thoughts and form opinions throughout the writing process. So it could conceivably be that producing written material is a vital part of focused cognition. And now that I’m out of school I miss writing. Finally, I realized that the existence of experts doesn’t prevent me from talking about all kinds of topics with my friends offline, so why not on a blog? Theres even a chance that I might get caught up in larger discussions in a way that simply isn’t possible in a living room or restaurant.
So, that’s why I’ve finally taken the plunge. I’m excited to see where this goes!
March 5, 2008 at 9:11 pm
You got it right. Make your voice heard!
True there are many experts out there, but there are just as many people out there who would be better off staying silent. For every jewel, there’s a handful dirt. Not to mention ignorant ideologues, pugilistic pundits, and rabble-rousers.
The more well-informed, insightful blogs out there, the better.