Wednesday, February 2, 2011

The Ego and letting go

I have a strong sense of self. There is no doubt about it. I didn't come down in the last shower. I am no spring chicken and I know who I am.

Why do I write here? I see it as something of a personal journey; chronicling that journey and getting my thoughts down in a structured and coherent way. Yes, it can be read by whoever wishes to come along and read it but for reasons I am not entirely sure about, this way of getting down my thoughts provides a bit more discipline and structure for me.

I have a private blog with no readers whatsoever and no one but me knows the code. I guess you could say that it is more 'stream of consciousness' writing over there but as well, it is overly dramatic and in some ways not authentic, because it is writing at the top of my head, without thought and embarrassingly so. More than that, it would be hurtful to others for it is emotions gone awry and what I say in one moment can be negated in the other.

So, I come here to try to write down my story in a way that bares some weight; in a way that is true. In my mind, if my words are to be read by others, they need to have some measure and every word needs to be true and to feel right. I don't re-read my posts hardly ever, but if I did, I want to be proud of them; that I said what I meant but also that I applied some guidelines to my thought; that I didn't type so very much on the tips of my fingertips that I typed without some thought as to whether the words would stand the test of time.

Am I aware of the reader? Do I care what the reader thinks? Well, sometimes, I monitor what I say for a few reasons. I am aware of a few particular readers, though I try not to let that influence what I say.

Are some posts unnecessary? Yes, more than likely some posts did nothing more than indulge my desire to write something; anything at all. From the youngest age, I picked up a pen and wrote as my way of expressing myself and I love to write; to create sentences and paragraphs and posts and stories. I can't write very much with a pen these days, unfortunately. I love to type my thoughts because I think too fast most times to write them all down with a pen. Though interestingly, if a thought is very important to me, I write it into one of my kinky notebooks that travel with me wherever I go and to which I refer constantly.

A new school year began here today. The heat wave is over and there is some coolness to the air. It feels like a good moment to try something new - to move into the next chapter of this journey of discovery. So, for this next chapter, a conscious effort will be made to write as if I am writing for myself alone; as if there were no readers at all. And, let's see how that goes, if something changes and there are a whole new set of lessons to learn; if I can let that ego slip away and provide me with new sights and insights.

3 comments:

  1. vesta,

    You expressed, quite honestly why blogging is so important. It's not about the reader, it's about the journey. Do we edit, sometimes, but we also have to believe the meat of what we say is what we really believe.

    At least it's what mouse needs to believe.

    Hugs,
    mouse

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  2. Dear Vesta

    [Sorry this got a bit long. Feel free not to publish it if it's tto long.]

    I have a diary (on paper) and a blog. Like your private blog, my diary is quite messy. The blog and the diary are both powerful, in different ways.

    My diary is only for me, there is no need to be polite or coherent or to make sense at all. There are no taboos. All this means that it is an excellent place for working things out: I can write ideas down however unformed they are, confused feelings, everything. They stay alive inside the diary, they sit with each other, breed even. Gradually, over days or even months of writing, stronger ideas and understanding emerges --- even if still it's difficult to put into words for other people.

    Most important is the process, the habit, of writing, of getting down all these knots of feeling and thinking *as knots*, without having to unravel or sort them out beforehand.

    I try to write every day. My wife is keen too for me to write as often as I need to: if I neglect my diary it shows.

    My blog (not really my current blog; my previous blog was important) was more about a semi-public place where I could air my dirty laundry. An idea might be worked out in the diary and written up as a blog post once it had shaped itself up and seemed relevant. The responses from readers --- kindnesses, challenges --- would reinforce or make me think again (and of course reading and commenting on other people's blogs was an important part of blogging).

    I think the two complement each other very well. Nothing new will come out in a blog --- it's too public --- but extra effort can go into an idea to make it blog-worthy, and then feedback from readers can go back into the diary. The diarist and the blogger benefit.

    xo PL

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  3. Vesta, I've kept a journal of some kind for decades. Sometimes handwritten, sometimes typed.

    I write the blog with the audience in mind because I like the relating. But it also serves as a way of processing things.

    Good luck with your new goal

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