I have had this draft in the blog hopper for a long time. It was sort of kickstarted by our friends thoughtful contemplation of why she blogs (Thanks L!). Then I read a fascinating article about someone who is obsessed with so-called Mormon Mommy Blogs. A thoughtful review of these blogs specifically, but more general blogs as a media in general. But it really is an interesting article well worth a read and if you daring clicking on some of the horrifyingly earnest blogs contained in therein.
Blogging is a strange format - sort of personal, like a diary, but not really as it is very public. This particular blog does not show up on search results, so it is sort of like a speak easy where you have to know the password in order to be let in to drink the Koolaid. But even so, we have friends from all over that keep tabs on us (shockingly) and family that drop in time to time. And as they say, the most important step in writing is to know your target audience. So why and what exactly are blogs supposed to be about?
No one wants a true journal, where you pour out your triumphs, disappointments and insecurities to a future self who has hopefully figured it all out. I have kept a journal at various points during my life for stretches as long as 6 months. Reading these, while certainly cringe inducing (especially the blogs from junior and senior year of high school), are hilarious and offers a view into my world long gone. I am so glad I wrote down the bizarre rantings of my diseased brain - otherwise I tend to remember every stage of your life with respect to the one I am are currently in (for example: that kid back there had it easy, as I have a baby and mortgage now). But this does a disservice to you of the past - that steaming pile of neurosis and naivete - as he tends to get colored by your current pile of neuroses.
So that is not it. Maybe it is the equivalent of a quick photo. We got our first digital camera in 2003 just before we got married. Since then we have taken thousands of photographs. Why did we take all these photos? Most are badly taken, easily forgotten, and without memories to go along with them entirely disposable. So why take them? Well, because there is no penalty (free, easy to store, etc...) and it is just one way to try to document life as it speeds by. (If you are game there is an article here on the slow photography movement, which starts by asking these very questions but by the end reduces to photography as art lecture.)
But what about our life before the digital camera? Sure we took pictures, but not many, and most of them are just hanging out in a box buried in the closet. Does that mean that life before the photo explosion is not as well documented? Already eroded by time? Easily rewritten without strong memories or thoughts to go along with the photos? (As an aside - what will Connor remember of his life since these digital photos will be documenting every thing?)
So maybe that is it. Blogging is just a way to quickly document the little details of life, securing them away, and making them somewhat more resilient to the passing of time. There certainly is a particular artifice to blogs, as we usually post the good things and not necessarily the little stresses and battles that go on everyday. We certainly don't consciously gloss over anything, but honestly, if something in life is not that great, why go through the effort to enshrine it? We don't go out of the way to photograph ourselves at our worst - such as when we drag ourselves out of bed in the morning after a long night sparring with Connor in the ancient style of baby kungfu!
Blogging is just a snapshot, capturing some aspect of our life right now. And to you future David, reading this blog from the awesome future-topia (probably while commuting to work on the moon via jet pack), hope you remember this part of your life. It was fun!
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