Why do so many people, including me, find themselves putting up their personal thoughts, detailing life’s minutiae, expounding on the pros and cons of Kerry, euthanasia, and cunninglinus?
I can guess; some of it must derive from the human need to connect to others, to share. Some of it must be the writer in us finally being given space to exist. Some of it must be our desire to leave a written legacy, something that says we were here – we thought – we blogged. And some of it – perhaps a lot of it – is our attempt to get attention.
Me! Me! Over here! Helllo! Pay attention! Pay attentttttion!
Seriously, though – we all want to think we are unique, special – and we want recognition of this. And, well, yes – as individuals, we are quite different from each other. But being a human – one of billions, stretching back thousands of years – really, as a rule, we’re not likely to say something that hasn’t been said before.
So why do it?
There are quite a lot of people livejournalling, blogging, RnR Craiglist posting; but it’s not the number of people doing it that surprises me – it’s the fact that there are so many doing it well; that fact makes me pause. So many people who can write in such a fashion and about things that are so interesting that you want to read on. You want to unravel the serial adventures of their lives, you want to know what they think about tongue piercings, copyright law, and their mother’s broken car.
Therapy for the masses? Still debating this with myself. In the mean time though, I have to go read how that postal work’s affair with his mother-in-law is working out…