Why I Blog

You may have noticed that I've been sharing more than I usually do on my blog.

My time offline last month had me asking myself the question of why I do this, and I'm going to share what I've discovered with you. (I think it's kind of appropriate that this happens to be my 1000th blog post, too; I don't generally bother with the commemorative posts anymore (because my well of ideas ran out several milestones ago), but maybe this can count as one.)

When I went offline, I told you about how dependent I'd gotten on comments, how I wasn't having fun anymore because I'd get frustrated when I wasn't getting enough feedback. So of course I thought about learning to "do it for myself," figuring out how to not need the comments, just being happy with putting my thoughts out there. But I have realized now that I don't just blog for myself, and I think that makes sense, because let's be honest--if it was only for me, I'd just write in my journal.

I blog because I'm a person who needs to discuss ideas, to have connections with people, to share things I care about with others. I don't want to just make speeches about my ideas without knowing that someone is listening, and I don't really like people to just listen without responding, either. (This is not to say that I don't want you to read if you're not going to comment--I'm just explaining what motivates me. I absolutely welcome all readers, and you don't have to comment for me to love you!)

Another reason that is not why I blog: to argue.

I don't believe in just ignoring the hard issues, so people often think that means I like to argue. But I don't. In fact I really hate it. I don't like it when people never comment on my blog except to argue with me, because it feels like they're not actually interested in me, and just like the opportunity to bicker about politics. And it's sometimes a little unsatisfying when people comment only to agree with me, too, without offering any of their own ideas. (Again, please don't think this means I'd rather you didn't comment at all; everyone likes to know that someone agrees with their thoughts, even if they don't expound on it. The support is valuable in itself.)

So, in the last couple weeks, I have decided to really put my thoughts together here. I've been sharing a lot more of the things I think about, because that's what my blog is for--and at the same time, I've been trying to dial down my neediness for responses. They're a big part of why this is fun for me, but as I discovered when I was offline, the writing itself is a big part of it too. Blogging, unlike Facebook, was one thing I really missed when I wasn't doing it. So I'm going to continue.

It occurred to me a while ago that I have a lot of life philosophies besides the political ones, and I'd like to start including those in the philosophy series. I don't know when that will begin, because I haven't thought of any specific ones to write yet (although I do have one in the political arena that will come up soon). But I figured I may as well introduce the concept.

So that's it. That's why I blog. I've been doing it for almost five years now, and I will probably still be doing it in another five; after all, everyone needs an outlet. I'm glad mine connects me to all of you.