Why We Still Blog

Reflective thinking is best placed into action if you write it down - ideally in the form of a blog - since it allows you to think freely without heavy structures and other formalities.

I was aimlessly browsing the web last night and I came to this ancient blog of my high school friend. His articles are well written - never fails to give that familiar humor and wit. Ironically, you can very much relate to it because it was written to serve him, probably without minding what others would comment or think. He blogs because he loves it and he doesn't do this to be famous, to brag or to be a "literary prostitute".

And I kinda miss that kind of writing. Mind you, it's not just a free flow of ideas in text. It needs to be at least organized and creative - to be enjoyable and readable. A writer once said that reflection is one of the five traits of a learned man, and reflecting without action (at least in writing) is just intellectual masturbation - it somehow gets wasted aside from a temporary "benefits" it gives you - whatever that is.

I mentioned Reflective Thinking because when you put it into writing, it...

-gives you true perspective

-gives emotional integrity to your thought life

-increases your confidence in decision making

-clarifies the big picture

-takes a good experience and makes it a valuable experience

I'm not the right person to explain the 5 bullets above (refer to John Maxwell's Thinking for a Change book), but I can say that I totally agree with him especially the last point he made.

We must not underestimate our human weakness - we forget stuff more often than what is needed and by writing, that stuff is immortalized, or at least preserved for further use. Yes, taking pictures is more... visual (duh!) but writing is one of the very few mediums where the 5 senses can be stimulated all at the same time.

So, my dear readers, I urge you to insert another item to your not-so-New Year's resolution: Start Keeping a Blog. Formspring, Flickr, Twitter and Facebook is not enough! Start a blog today/tonight.