This past week, a loving member of our family passed away back home in the northeastern part of the country. The member was my mother’s uncle, so while he was not immediate family, nor did we see a lot of each other, his passing still had an emotional affect on my wife and I.
After funeral arrangements had been set, we crunched the twin numbers of terror (time and finances) and came to the sad realization we would not be able to return home to be present for the viewing and burial. Naturally, I turned to the outlet of writing to address my feelings of loss and hollowness.
Eager to express how much of a positive impact my mother’s uncle had on us, I sat down and crafted a letter to his sister. Throughout the draft, I highlighted the endearing memories we had of “Andy” and spoke about how he truly was a remarkably charismatic person throughout his life.
As I typed out the letter's final words with glassy eyes, I felt at peace, even accomplished, knowing that I had steadfastly devoted myself to thinking about the good times with Uncle Andy throughout the document’s writing. It was appropriate and it provided a sense of closure in light of his passing.
Yet, even with the elevated emotional circumstances, I noted that my internal feelings were uncannily similar to how I feel after I finish writing a post here on Steemit. (Which, if you review my profile, my posts are rarely tear-jerkers nor commentary on something as heavy as a loved one’s passing.) Still, I recognized the parallel and thought to dive a bit deeper...
While many users are here on Steemit to beef up those crypto-wallets or to establish a social media presence, I had to wonder why do the other bloggers across our platform (and really, the whole freaking internet) sit down and hack away at the keyboard with their thoughts, observations and soul-bearing posts? The simple question loomed: Why do we write?
For me, it came down to three basic principles...
Focus - In a world of constant dings, bings, rings, chimes and flashing notifications, it is a rare feat to successfully focus on one task at a time. And what about trying to keep your internal ramblings confined to one topic? Woof, not unless you're putting pen to paper (or fingers to keys), my friends! That’s the beauty I realized behind these posts - it really is an opportunity to quiet the incessant pandemonium and devote yourself entirely to one thesis. And I know I am not alone when I am pleasantly surprised at the depth of my thoughts once I get them out of my head and onto the screen. There is certainly tremendous value in those moments of clarity…call it "enlightenment".
Therapy - Within Steemit and other public posting sites, the feedback (or at least the opportunity for feedback) is just as impactful as the writing itself. I used the cliche phrase, “soul-bearing” in a paragraph above, but really, many of our posts are each of us sitting down and truly putting our internal, private dialogue out there for evaluation. This exhibition of ideas that may be hiding within our brain's deepest shadows is as daring as it is therapeutic. How often have we heard “you just have to talk it out”? Well, perhaps this is our generation’s version: “You just have to blog it out!”
Impact - Just as I wanted to clearly express my emotions about Uncle Andy’s passing, each of our writings are a new opportunity for us to champion ideas, to persuade cynics, to inspire, to support...to move the audience. History is certainly rife with speeches that did all of those things I just listed, but even so, most of those speeches originated with the pen! Today, absolutely everything has found its way onto monitors and screens, and still, pieces of literary genius continue to be born in articles, books and yes, blogs, whether they are on paper or LED display. There is little out there that resonates with the masses like a well-articulated monologue typed out for all to see. Perhaps we can dismiss the old cliche, but still agree with its modernization: “The keyboard is mightier than the gun”.
Thus, as I conclude this latest post, I again let those familiar emotions of accomplishment mix with the vulnerability that comes with the exposure of my thoughts. It’s a unique feeling ...a rewarding one... and undeniably why I will continue to write, blog, type and click that “Post” key over and over again.
Until next time, keep on Steem’n folks!
Rest in peace, Uncle Andy!