Worthy Posts

Now that I've entered Blogdom, the pressure to write is incredible. I'm amazed how often I'm tempted to check my own blog just to see what else I've written. It reminds me of television: TV rarely ever just records or documents events, but instead usually creates events that television can then capture and broadcast. Haven't you ever felt the sensation when someone turns the camera on you at home, outside, or in the classroom? There you are, feeling perfectly natural and not under any scrutiny at all, and then someone (without warning) turns a camera on, and all of a sudden you feel like the world has just stopped to watch you finish cooking, or push your kid on the swing, or pack up your books; it never feels "natural" and almost always feels "staged". I feel like a broadcasting company that's bought airtime and is now looking for something with which to fill it.

Lest my posts become mere performances and cease to be thoughtful and substantive, I will refrain from posting for the sake of posting, and will instead strive to post only when I have something to say (and my wife has had her quota of Great Thoughts for the day). If I have nothing worthwhile to say (that is, in my view), you'll find nothing to read but old posts or comments from others (which may be better than the post).

This brings up a related issue. Sustained and focused dialogue on an issue is hard to come by these days, no less in person than over the Internet. Personal exchanges, I'm convinced, are far more constructive and enjoyable, but in a venue such as blogs, it is possible to carry on a substantive and focused exchange even without the advantages of body language, tone of voice, "back and forth", etc. In this regard, I welcome questions, queries, challenges, and/or objections to anything I post, and hope to honor any thoughtful comments that a reader may submit. Since I'm still the only one reading my posts, this is easily done:). In the future, I hope not to have it so easy.