Why do we write?

There are many ways for one to answer this question: why do we write?

There are some who have creative imaginations. They dream of being the next J.K. Rowling or Stephen King - of putting their thoughts to paper and showing the world what they’ve crafted. There are others who write specifically to effect change in the world. Who do deep research on the issues they care about and bring them to light.

There are also people who write simply for themselves. They keep journals and diaries, perhaps just for self-reflection, or to document the events of their lives.

There are obviously many, many, many reasons that people throughout the world write. However, I will not delve into those here. The answer (if there is one) to such a question as “why do people write” is more the subject of a massive academic work, and not a brief blog post.

However, there is one topic on which I have authority - one question which I certainly can answer.

Why do I write?

The Method to My Madness

I am, and always have been, someone who has a deep love of learning. More specifically, I enjoy learning about the problems and issues faced by the world around me, and the different ways that these problems can be solved.

Furthermore, I have found that one of the best ways to learn about something is to simply write about it.

Ah, but this may seem counter-intuitive! Shouldn’t we write about something after we understand it? How can you write about something that you have yet to fully grasp? But this is precisely the point.

It is the process which matters most. It it through writing about something, through articulating my thoughts and ideas, that my knowledge truly deepens. I feel that most people often have interesting things to say, or have answers to questions they hold about the world, but shy away from putting their thoughts out there.

People who fear speaking about their feelings - who hide from putting what they know onto a page.

So it can be said that one of the reasons I write this blog is simply, for my own benefit. I have thus far written about several political and cultural topics. The process of writing these pieces allowed me to clarify and articulate my thoughts, and to do so in such a way that would have been impossible had they remained trapped in my head!

However, that is not the only reason I write.

Complex, but Coherent

Another strong belief I have is that there are many people who shy away from learning about important issues, and do so because of the extreme complexity that these issues appear to have. This is understandable. People have lives - jobs to do, kids to feed, classes to take, bills to pay.

To a certain extent, the complexity of these issues is justified. The world is a complicated place, and the laws, politics, and culture of any society, or the views of any one person, will reflect that. It is of no use to pretend otherwise.

So, another goal I have with this blog is to bridge this gap - to write about complex topics which I find interesting, but to break them down in a way that they can be understood clearly and directly.

That being said, this certainly does not mean that I will refrain from providing my own views. Nor will I simplify issues to such an extent that important aspects of them are ignored. Rather, I will be providing my understanding of the issues, in a way that is (hopefully!) enjoyable to read.

One final note: while my blog posts will certainly be reinforced by data and sources, keep in mind that they are blog posts, not essays. They are written in a more casual manner, and will not delve into every specific aspect of an issue they are addressing.

So, that about sums it up! I would like to thank you for taking a look at my blog, and hope that you will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it.

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