Blogging

I am so surprised at how many people blog. I was talking
with friends this weekend, a couple of whom are teachers and they explained to
me that they blog all the time as a way of getting their feelings out,
expressing their opinions, and communicating with those outside their immediate
social circle. It surprised the hell out of me. I knew several of these
individuals in college and they hated writing papers more than anything in the
world. Now, the voluntarily write their blog for what seems like no reason. In
earlier posts I have talked about how social media creates a culture where
everyone feels they must express themselves and what they have to say is
important. I think that is what this is all about. I even talked to my friends
and explained that many of them, because they work with younger children, have
little adult contact during the workday and perhaps that is what motivates them
to write their blog. The fact that they strive for a connection with people on
a similar intellectual level. They rebuffed my idea and said that they simply
find writing therapeutic and while writing their blog they often are able to
replay certain instances during the day or in their life and gain a different perspective.
I have heard a lot of writers say that for them writing is a release and that
it relaxes them. That newspaper writers who go into television still write
often because it is a habit and quite simply a way of life. In taking classes,
I too have to write a lot and while I do find things out about myself through
the process I very rarely find the exercise therapeutic. But, perhaps as time goes on and I continue with this blog I will find that getting my thoughts out does provide some sort
of stress relief.