Among the blogs I read and follow, there is a consistent theme for which most of them blog. Most of them fall into two groups. The first group consists of people who use their blogs to update their friends and family as to their lives, a newsletter of sorts. The second group does it for the money. Now, if I were paid to blog, I would accept it, but I haven't earned a red cent to my knowledge from any of the links, recommendations, or those asinine advertisements in the margin, which I may remove soon since I know I can. If you have read this for any length of time, you know it's far from a journal of my daily doings or for family. My family reads it, but it's not for that either.
Why blog at all? I think it boils down for me to one simple thing- that when I learn something or experience something that helps me, I am excited to share it with other people. You don't even have to let me know you read it. You don't even have to give me credit, unless SOPA passes and is signed into law by the president.
Blogging is about more than passing on the minutia of mortality or promoting the exchange of specie. It's about exchange of ideas. You see, if it crosses your screen, it might cross your mind, and if I get you to think, then I have accomplished my mission. I seek to get people engaged in the things that transform life and make lives out of existence.
You see, two people can look at the exact same thing and see completely different things. Sometimes, what they see is a complete opposite. Most of what I read and see and hear out there is the complete antithesis of what I think and believe and feel, and if you're at all like me, maybe you feel alone and adrift in a sea of information. As you read editorials masquerading as news, perhaps you feel that you're out of touch, alone in your opinions, or out of your mind completely. The fact of the matter is, you're probably far more normal than you think.
Most of the vocal people are the people who are in the minority or those who are not sure of their positions. They will preach the philosophies of men, that which is pleasing to the carnal mind, and as they have success, they end up converting themselves (like Ron Paul). As they experience more success, earn more money, and have more hits/viewers/subscribers/etc., they use that as a sign that they're right. All it means is that they share opinions with people who are willing to say so. Most of the people who disagree say nothing at all.
Facts are stubborn things, Ronald Reagan once said. They don't really care about the prevailing opinion or polling data or individual preference. Physical laws, natural laws, and constitutional laws are extant regardless of how we feel about them. The only ones we can change are the latter, no matter how many people vote to repeal gravity.
I am a different kind of person. I actually believe in people. I believe that it is uncommon for the majority of people to believe in, choose, or endorse that which is contrary to happiness. So, if you think everyone thinks you're nuts, remember that I'm on your side and that I think most of the people are silent and that most of them share more in common with you than with the shrill shriekers of the vocal minority. You see, graciousness and decorum are virtues, and people who believe in the virtues you and I espouse will practice them and hold their peace.
This blog exists because I don't actually know anyone else who writes one like it. It's not a recipe, like some other people have, as much as it's an illustration of experiences, knowledge, and perspectives that guide my own pursuit of happiness. Sometimes it looks like a journal or newsletter; some time I would like to get paid to write. However, if I was FORCED to write for my livelihood, I doubt very much I would post 15+ articles per month with links and commentary etc. I do this because I feel like I ought to and because I enjoy it. It's a fine and glorious tradition after the manner of Paul Revere.
Let the others blog for power or for money or because a boss or spouse compels them or simply because they like writing. Meanwhile, I write this blog so that you may learn to be wiser than I as you pursue your own happiness. You get to see what I do and why so that you can see how it turns out and see if the result is the one for which you hope. Smart people learn from their mistakes, but wise people learn from the mistakes of others, and that's partly why I write this blog.
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