Why? The question seemed to be the irreplaceable title of my first ever blog post. Quite simply, it summarizes the thoughts I have been thinking ever since my wonderful friend Hannah told me to begin a blog. To be honest I am still not sure that I understand the purpose behind this "blogging" phenomenon that I have fallen victim to.
One of the most annoying aspects of my personality for other people is my incessant need to know precisely why things happen. In my search for understanding I tried to search Google for "the purpose of blogging".
(You may have noticed that I did not say "I Googled the purpose of blogging". As a business student I am well aware that it is perfectly acceptable to turn nouns into verbs. I opt not to though.)
My search turned up many reasons for the blog, each of which seemed inadequate. For example, one site suggested that a blog was a way to share my thoughts. Though my thoughts will be shared, I refuse to believe that this is a sufficiently substantial purpose. My thoughts are far from brilliant and are undoubtedly about things that other people could care less about.
Another site suggested that a blog can serve as a communication tool with people you care about. This too seemed ridiculous to me. I am highly educated in communication. (Yes Hannah, I do know that I fail miserably at implementing my knowledge.) My education, coupled with common sense, has taught me that communication is two-way. Blogs are not. George Bernard Shaw once said, "The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place." I think that, for the most part, people who believe that they are communicating through blogs fall victim to Shaw's observation. Besides, I cannot foresee people actually reading this.
A final site on my journey to enlightenment suggested that a blog is a good way to differentiate yourself from others. This may be helpful for some people. I, on the other hand, happen to already know that I am different. In fact, different is probably a serious understatement in describing my quirkiness.
So why blog? This investigation left me still searching for an answer. Some of you may be wondering why an answer is so important to me. A second annoying aspect of my personality is my infatuation with purpose. If I cannot identify a purpose for an activity I am unlikely to participate. (I suppose this partially explains why I think it so ridiculous to play a sport without keeping score.)
Thankfully, Google does not contain more information about me than I do. I was able to uncover three reasons why I ought to blog.
- I am commitment averse. I need to develop my self-discipline and this provides a means of doing that.
- I (and I think that this generalizes to most of society) do not spend sufficient time thinking. This blog will force me to think and hopefully encourage others to do the same. That being said, I guarantee I will never suggest to anyone that they ought to read my blog.
- A very good friend asked me to do this and that ought to be reason enough.
So here you have it Hannah...a brief glimpse into my mind. Feel free to share with anyone you feel may be interested, entertained, or simply needs a pointless rant to put them to sleep each night.
