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Follow-up to "Vanity" Poll
17 Mar 2007 05:57 pmI was going to answer all the responses individually, but since everyone said basically the same thing, I thought I would save myself some time and just post my thought here.
As I'm sure you all figured out, the question I posed was a loaded one. Unless you are a reporter--in that you give all material without bias and never present your own opinions, thoughts, or view--it is perfectly natural that the information speaks of *you* even if you aren't the topic of the post. For example, whenever I type up something about Mayotte, I don't even try to remove myself from the equation. First off all because I'm not a reporter. Second because I am, first and foremost, making memories for myself. And third because I don't want to give "Just the facts, ma'am." As many said, these are our journals, so it is normal that they are about us. Nothing bizarre in that.
I'm going to take this away from the topic of journals for a moment, though, to say that in life, as in journaling, the default POV for all of us is self, First Person. I don't speak of all this because I'm promoting being egotistical, quite the opposite in fact. But I do think that recognizing self comes first is an essential step in being able to open up and think about others. By taking into account your position in the world--physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually--you can better grasp your own beliefs and importance, much like using radar. It is, in my opinion, good and right to consider others. It is good and right when you realize you aren't alone. It is good and right to maintain healthy relationships with your fellows, in as much as *you* can. You accomplish all that by nurturing, educating, and bettering self...
because at the end of the long, long day, self is the only one you can change.
As I'm sure you all figured out, the question I posed was a loaded one. Unless you are a reporter--in that you give all material without bias and never present your own opinions, thoughts, or view--it is perfectly natural that the information speaks of *you* even if you aren't the topic of the post. For example, whenever I type up something about Mayotte, I don't even try to remove myself from the equation. First off all because I'm not a reporter. Second because I am, first and foremost, making memories for myself. And third because I don't want to give "Just the facts, ma'am." As many said, these are our journals, so it is normal that they are about us. Nothing bizarre in that.
I'm going to take this away from the topic of journals for a moment, though, to say that in life, as in journaling, the default POV for all of us is self, First Person. I don't speak of all this because I'm promoting being egotistical, quite the opposite in fact. But I do think that recognizing self comes first is an essential step in being able to open up and think about others. By taking into account your position in the world--physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually--you can better grasp your own beliefs and importance, much like using radar. It is, in my opinion, good and right to consider others. It is good and right when you realize you aren't alone. It is good and right to maintain healthy relationships with your fellows, in as much as *you* can. You accomplish all that by nurturing, educating, and bettering self...
because at the end of the long, long day, self is the only one you can change.