A Redefinition on why I Write

Last Fall I responded to my computer instructors question as to my possible desires to have my blog and Hutong writings published in book format, I stated that perhaps posthumously if anyone would oblige not mine, but rather their desires. I framed the matter in a "discovery" context, not something predetermined, an occurrence by chance.

Some years ago, through simple truths, I recognized that I write for my own pleasure. The single exception is op-ed pieces I submit to the local press; but, this may come to pass, given the uphill nature to edify indigenous peoples in a "love-it-or-leave-it" community. Some writers that I hold most dearly wrote largely for their own pleasure: Henry David Thoreau, Emily Dickinson and J.D. Salinger (after 1965). Today, it's a way of saving face.

Salinger, apparently wrote for his pleasure for forty-five years, until his death in January of this year. Salinger exploded onto the literary scene with his 1951 novel, The Catcher In The Rye. The burdens of fame encouraged reclusion throughout the second half of his ninety-one-year lifespan! In his last interview (1965) he proclaimed that he wrote only for his own pleasure.

There is the suggestion that as early as the late 1960s, he already had completed works in his home safe. Well, if he kept writing for the next forty years, there could be a sizable collection of his works sitting in that safe! The discovery of such a compilation would surpass the excitement generated by the 1947 discovery of the Dead Sea scrolls! The event would surely rival the 1623 publication of the Shake-speare "First Folio"!

Some of the pleasure derived from my efforts is the acquisition of information and then using it to formulate an understanding of the important issues of the day. I have to study a topic before I can write about it. I differ in this approach from ordinary bloggers who profess and proclaim in an apparent state of free fall.. However, I am not a blogger. No one responds to my postings; and I do nothing to bring attention to my blog sites.

Recently, I submitted an op-ed piece to the local newspaper. It was actually a lengthy article and unknown to me it was entered into the newspaper's blog. The title was, "Let Them Drive Escalades". I had sent, in its entirety, one of my "blog" essays. Some days had passed before I was told what happened to my submission, and out of curiosity, I read some comments. The quality of responses was such that I could not possibly participate in the ritual, which locally seems to exhibit little compassion for others. As with e-mail correspondence, the ideas put forward are fragmentary and ungrammatical. There is a hastiness that reveals an estrangement, that one is too busy to waste time merely communicating with another. The ambiance wherein the effort takes place seems to be the same as driving while eating fast food and talking on a cellphone.

One benefit in writing regularly is how it improves my conversational skills when talking with people at the grocery store, on the bus and in community college classes (in which I enroll every semester). Although it is savagely unfair, I often shift into a subject that I am currently researching for a blog posting. This situation is most satisfying when talking issues with fiscal and social conservatives, who generally are supercilious and like to dominate discussions.

In the lecture hall, I might be as well-prepared as the instructor, and at times called upon to answer vexing questions, supplying data and dates. On my first (and last) day in an oceanography class, the instructor thought he would humiliate the enrollees by asking who discovered the Hawaiian Islands? Of course, he was not thinking of the ancient Polynesians, instead Captain James Cook of His Magisty's Royal Navy, in 1778. He took a thoughtful look at me from the corner of his eye, said "Yes.", and carried on as if nothing had happened. I have had many classroom coups since taking up the pen. I usually save this set up for the most seriously affected wise men.

In all seriousness, I write to learn. It must be said that pleasure can be elusive when writing about various issues that plague this nation. However, with my blog essays, I compartmentalize my findings and conclusions in the act of posting, thereby freeing up cerebral space for other ventures. Anyway, I can always write about food when stressed.