Up at Six
It's always weird for me to find out that people read this. I suppose that I have linked to this blog in a couple of places, but it still strikes me as odd when I find out that people read it. Should it? No... but it does. I read other people's blogs all of the time. I'm interested in their lives. Why do I feel as if people shouldn't wonder at mine? I'm happy that people are interested in my life, as anyone would be. All of us have a need to connect to people, even if it is through writing.
Now that I mention it is there a better correspondence than writing? (Besides face to face that is.) You have time to say what you want, you are on no timetable that would dictate when you need to be heard, you are alone with your thoughts and in control of which ones escape. Writing is so elegant, why do I not write letters? Other mediums are crude. AIM is ugly, like stunted conversation, though it is used extensively in our culture of needing everything now. Through it writing's greatest flaw is exploited, the ability to be understood. By placing writing in the context of real-time conversation, people are less apt to watch what they write and more apt to come across poorly to each other. The phone loses so much through the lack of visuals and closeness. You may be physically talking to the person, but for me at least, non-verbal communication is just as important as verbal in a conversation. It suffers for this, for the inability to bring a sense of intimacy that is found in face-to-face discussion. For lack of another word, it is cold. Writing on the other hand is warm. Immediately the recipient is disarmed, and in a couple of ways. That someone took the time to write to them is very flattering, opening up the listener to hear the writer. It also places the writer in a vulnerable spot. Writing your life, your words, your thoughts to paper in a way empties you of them. (I don't know if that makes sense... maybe it isn't the best way to put it.) But it leaves you exposed, (much better). The ability to take the time to say what you mean is also priceless, as is the ability to take the time to comprehend what others say. And after all of this, all that I have said about writing... why do I not write to others?
I want to... to start at least. If you would like a letter from me tell me so in the comments. I will try and write you one. I need to keep better contact with my friends, I pray this will help. Some of you will get a letter regardless of whether or not you ask, this is because you deserve one for writing me and for taking the time to be my friend. I'm sorry to all the friends that I have that I have not kept up with and I hope I can change that.
Now a little less heavy material.
Danielson. This man is amazing. Mind you I say this not to discredit any of the others in his band. He put out what could easily become my favorite record of the year and my favorite song of the year. I have been listening to this record ever since I woke up this morning and am fast falling in love with it. Also watch the trailer for the documentary coming out!
I woke at 6:15 AM today. It feels good. I need to do this more often. I think I'll go have breakfast, I haven't eaten breakfast in, well, probably about a month. I think I'm due.
Currently Listening to... Ships - Danielson
Currently Reading... Kings in Disguise - Vance and Burr
The Cost of Discipleship - Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Now that I mention it is there a better correspondence than writing? (Besides face to face that is.) You have time to say what you want, you are on no timetable that would dictate when you need to be heard, you are alone with your thoughts and in control of which ones escape. Writing is so elegant, why do I not write letters? Other mediums are crude. AIM is ugly, like stunted conversation, though it is used extensively in our culture of needing everything now. Through it writing's greatest flaw is exploited, the ability to be understood. By placing writing in the context of real-time conversation, people are less apt to watch what they write and more apt to come across poorly to each other. The phone loses so much through the lack of visuals and closeness. You may be physically talking to the person, but for me at least, non-verbal communication is just as important as verbal in a conversation. It suffers for this, for the inability to bring a sense of intimacy that is found in face-to-face discussion. For lack of another word, it is cold. Writing on the other hand is warm. Immediately the recipient is disarmed, and in a couple of ways. That someone took the time to write to them is very flattering, opening up the listener to hear the writer. It also places the writer in a vulnerable spot. Writing your life, your words, your thoughts to paper in a way empties you of them. (I don't know if that makes sense... maybe it isn't the best way to put it.) But it leaves you exposed, (much better). The ability to take the time to say what you mean is also priceless, as is the ability to take the time to comprehend what others say. And after all of this, all that I have said about writing... why do I not write to others?
I want to... to start at least. If you would like a letter from me tell me so in the comments. I will try and write you one. I need to keep better contact with my friends, I pray this will help. Some of you will get a letter regardless of whether or not you ask, this is because you deserve one for writing me and for taking the time to be my friend. I'm sorry to all the friends that I have that I have not kept up with and I hope I can change that.
Now a little less heavy material.
Danielson. This man is amazing. Mind you I say this not to discredit any of the others in his band. He put out what could easily become my favorite record of the year and my favorite song of the year. I have been listening to this record ever since I woke up this morning and am fast falling in love with it. Also watch the trailer for the documentary coming out!
I woke at 6:15 AM today. It feels good. I need to do this more often. I think I'll go have breakfast, I haven't eaten breakfast in, well, probably about a month. I think I'm due.
Currently Listening to... Ships - Danielson
Currently Reading... Kings in Disguise - Vance and Burr
The Cost of Discipleship - Dietrich Bonhoeffer
posted by Dan at 7:19 AM
2 Comments:
great, great points. i totally agree. i hate instant messengers. and the phone does feel cold. letters totally rock. besides being able to take the time to clearly think out all that you'd like to say, i think they allow you to think more about the person you're communicating with and (counter-intuitively) provide great closeness. i started doing it this year after moving to cleveland, and it's really been great, further showing me all the things you talked about.
i would definitely like a letter. far too few guys nowadays have whatever it is that it takes to write letters. it wasn't always so. i think it's a bad sign.
I disagree in part about instant messengers. The way most people use them, it's true. But it doesn't have to be so. When I talk with some of my friends we use proper grammar, capitalization, punctuation, etc. (and I always use proper spelling, no internet lingo 4 me), and you have a chance to proofread and collect your thoughts akin to letter-writing. I'd rank it above the phone. But letters are cool, though having to send them can be a pain sometimes. If you write me, I'll gladly write you back. :)
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