Saturday, December 15, 2007

Gruntled?

Is that the opposite of disgruntled?
Just a little thought to throw around.
Here's the rooty old tree.

I've had a lot of discussions over the years about blogging and 'how can you know people you've never met'. Haven't we all :)
Well I was thinking it seems as if often, blogging is an outlet for creativity and expressiveness. Perhaps for people who don't have an audience in daily life for the flow of their consciousness. People who aren't geniuses* but who, nonetheless have some pretty lively and interesting stuff going on in their heads. And before blogging most of it tended to stay in their heads.
But then blogging appeared on the virtual horizon and suddenly it was possible, not only to express thoughts (that might not go down awfully well at home or in the work place) but also a to enjoy a swiftly responsive audience. Which, in a way is even better than writing a book or producing a work of art . So many great artists, after all, never got any appreciation at all till after they had died. And instead of living, most vividly, alone inside their heads, blogging people could make a few ripples and splashes of colour in the consciousness of the wider world.
And though you can't tell by reading a blog, if a person is nice to live with (f'rinstance) you get to know quite a lot about why they might or might not be.
Then, in the same way that a conversation with a friend can help you to define your ideas about something, writing a post will often clarify issues that have been flopping about like stranded fish in the back of your mind for ages.
I know quite a few people who think blogging is 'sad' and only for those who 'haven't got a life'. (That's partly because of my age group :). All I can say about them is it's very easy to dismiss something you haven't tried. And secretly to wonder if they have a bit of sour grape stuff going on because a lot of them are quite unable to come to terms with computers. A bit 'sad' and behind the times you might say, only that would be unkind and mostly, unkindness is not what blogging is all about.
Well it's very late and I don't seem to be arriving anywhere with this train of thought. It can go rattling on into the night. Who knows, it may collect a few passengers before I next board but for now I'm getting off.
Sleep well all my blogging friends. Have a good weekend. I shall look forward to the next instalments of all the stories which touch me when I'm here.

*which is to say, they don't wish to abandon normal life entirely in order to dredge up the 99% sweat that has to be added to the 1 % inspiration.

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6 comments:

At 5:05 AM, Blogger Mel said...

Well, I'm up for the ride even if you have retired for the night/day.
;-)

I can't begin to tell you the richness in my life which has come about via the world wide web that I swore was NOT going to come into our home.
*chuckling*

I'm glad I let go of that fear and forged onwards. Thinking about what I could have cheated myself out of--wow....

I don't expect folks from my era to 'get it' unless they've experienced some of it.
I certainly didn't get it until I had a host of experiences.
And it's been absolutely amazing.

*chuckling*
I do have a life.
Oh BOY do I have a life! LOL
And GRATEFULLY, a part of that life is (to steal ILTV's phrase)'all of you wonderful people'. :-)

 
At 5:06 AM, Blogger Mel said...

And I absolutely LOVE the tree photo....

 
At 11:46 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Blogging made such a difference to my life - as you quite rightly say, it's clarified issues that flopped around like stranded fish (as indeed I was some time ago), I vented frustration, anger and grief, and in a roundabout way brought happiness in a way I never dreamed of.

 
At 10:52 AM, Blogger mig bardsley said...

I often wonder what our lives might have been like if we'd had the internet when we were younger. I'm so glad our children have the opportunity.
Whatever. It's great to be part of something that is changing so many people's perspectives on the world :)

 
At 7:45 AM, Blogger I, Like The View said...

I've heard it for anoraks - bring on rainy days then, I say

I tell anyone who asks, that the people I meet this way HAVE lives and really interesting ones and they love to write about them and share images of them and that's what makes it so wonderful!

:-)

(and if they don't have lives - some of them think really interesting things and write about that instead!)

(I have yet to come across a dull blog)(and anyhow, when I was a child I used to spend a fortune on stamps and stationery for my communicating with my penpals - and this is free!!)

 
At 10:51 PM, Blogger mig bardsley said...

Indeed ILTV, what's inside people's heads is often much more exciting than you'd know by the lives they lead. And what's bad about that!

 

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