Well, at first it was intentional. I actually thought of a few things to say but every time I logged on and saw the someecards post it resonated so strongly that I chose not to write something new and cause the cartoon to descend on the page.
Then, like, a week passed, and I got really busy. A superdear close friend of mine got married, and I had the honor and challenge of being very closely involved with the joyous occasion.
When I returned from Chicago I was consumed by a frenzy of writing. Alas, of limited creativity--it was for my job--but I was nonetheless thoroughly occupied. At the end of the month I took an extremely special minivacation to California with some wonderful favorite friends and was once again strongly tempted to move to Los Angeles. I'm not ruling it out.
Now we're into August, which was spent growing and relaxing, I'm happy to say. I meant to post a couple of times, but it was one of those things where I was inspired by an extraordinarily blogworthy email and didn't want to write about anything else until I'd covered the topic.
Well, the email is still in my inbox but I lost track of it as it slid down the chute. (Now Gmail has a new trick for me to try; we'll see if it helps. You'll recognize success if you see a post about salads and romance.) So ever since I received that remarkable email I have not allowed myself to post about anything else on this blog. Hence an even longer delay. If you care, I am sorry.
However, I saw a story tonight that has forced me to override the priority of the salad/romance post. Yes, our President spoke about the alleged end of a regrettable conflict, but I have not seen the speech yet and that is not what I am writing about. Yes, a new month starts tomorrow and that has much meaning for many.
But I write because of the blog. Because its evolution and popularity has reached the level of unstoppable. Because children are now bloggers. And I am fascinated by the position adults are in. Seriously, did we not see it coming? Did we not think our children--whose minds are certainly as independent and intelligent as ours, possibly moreso--would also be intrigued by such a freeing mode of self expression? No judgment, no limits. Publishing at the push of a button; instant accessibility.
Toddlers have tantrums because they are misunderstood. They have trouble expressing themselves in ways adults understand and thus become frustrated, and, possessing little patience or maturity, lash out in unpleasant ways. Imagine if a three-year-old could type a short essay about your disagreement over his desire for another cookie. Imagine if he could use reason--but no, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Many adults cannot even do that. Let's stick with expressing feelings.
Blogging allows people to say what's really truly on their minds. It's odd, but it works. Personally I prefer the privacy of a journal, but obviously I'm intrigued enough to have a blog (or three) of my own. And if I were less self-conscious, or more confident in the interest of others, it's possible I would publish my journal.
And why not? People want to be understood, and people want to understand. This explains biographers and memoirs; history. So who can blame bloggers for putting their emotions--their spirits--out into the universe? Why not air your soul in an arena where the energy can be reflected and absorbed? And who better to intuit this than the youngest of our human beings. Less inhibited and more honest, children's opinions are among the most valuable. If only adults could understand their intent.
Enter the blog. Or really, the act of writing, my most favored form of communication. Writing transforms you. (If you are a writer. Even if you're not, probably, but I couldn't say for sure. I suspect we are all writers, really.) Writing bridges gaps and conveys meanings with a grace that my spoken words never seem to achieve. If I can have a moment to compose my thoughts--not even to edit them, in the case of blogging--then I can make myself known.
It feels like liberty, and I don't see how we could think children would be deprived of the experience. It's true there are risks involved with blogging, but no more so with children than for young adults today, who grew up alongside the internet and who didn't realize that the exclusive website founded their senior year in college would eventually be used as a permanent archive of their most personal expressions of thought. And even years later people who should know better still choose to broadcast their daily experiences across a wholly unreliable network. A network that does not necessarily give a damn about spirit.
Don't forget Facebook is for profit. They don't care about your privacy. I've always wanted to think otherwise, but I can't be a fool. Same goes for other companies I truly want to love, like Google and Verizon. Innocent until proven guilty and all that but I'm wary for reasons and you should be too.
Which is why we should teach our children about the realities of the world, of the internet. Online is forever, for better or worse. That's not good or bad so much as it is true. So, yes, let's not make the links to our kids' blogs a matter of publicity or fame. But we should encourage fellow humans to express themselves, and depicting blogging--which at its heart is simply freedom of speech--as a danger is only one side of the story.
In Korea, they educate.
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