So I create a blog, and christen it by immediately launching into a somewhat detailed analysis of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict – a complicated topic if there ever was one – instead of an introduction to the author herself. I daresay I didn't even properly introduce or consider the background of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict even with 2 posts of together more than 4,000 words. For example, there were a lot of concepts and conditions I alluded to without properly analysis – the ideological differences between Hamas and the PLO, for one, and their respective reception by the Palestinian people. The fact that such a discussion may require posts unto themselves aside, I avoided analysis of it for the same reason that the title of this entry – My Blogspot Identity – may be considered somewhat misleading. And it is this:
This blog is meant to be internal – not external.
An "external" blog I would suggest seeks to be seen or followed. I have no wish for followers and believe I likely will have few if any at all. I do not expect anyone to stumble across this blog and say:
"Hey! Awesome blog. This really analyses various concepts in a way that I can understand and will continue to follow for the purposes of entertainment and knowledge."
Besides, I am convinced that the population of people on this earth who may ever say such a thing is dwindling to extinction.
This blog is very much intended to be internal – a place for me to articulate my opinions that would otherwise remain fuzzy and ill-formed inside of my mind. I have always liked to research issues and ideas. I would spend anywhere from a few days to a few weeks at a time completely taken with one issue or another. The end result of this will be to discuss these issues at varying lengths with the same friend I mentioned in my first entry, before moving onto the next topic. While discussing with someone who shares your views in large part is very comforting, there is some merit in also writing these views down.
Firstly, I have been finding that I am forgetting some aspects of issues I would have researched in the past. For instance, slavery in the bible. I can pretty much accept that the bible does condone some forms of slavery. Some time ago, I researched the Christian Apologists' views on slavery in the bible. Most of them I recall eventually dismissing as absurd, but I cannot specifically remember what those explanations were. So if I were to get into a discussion now about slavery in the bible, I will be able to point out what the bible says about slaves (mostly), but if, in the off-chance, the theist has already thought about it and can give me the reasons this is acceptable, I will be forced to rely on memory and "thinking on my feet" to respond. It might be as easily said as it is done, but I would much prefer to have these excuses at the ready so I can quickly offer the explanations as to why those reasons are unfounded, unacceptable, or quite simply absurd. Short of me having to go back to research slavery in the bible (which I invariably will have to do), I can simply revisit a post here. Even further, I can update the post with things I have learnt since I wrote it.
Secondly, I have found that writing ideas down add to their clarity in my own mind. My first 2 posts, for instance – I started writing them AFTER I had already scoured (for a couple hours) various internet pages about the history of the conflict and therefore had formulated somewhat of an opinion. The process of writing them down, however, forced me to the realisation that there were some aspects of my reasoning that either was inconsistent with other parts, chronologically confusing, or the like. I found myself having to revisit many of the same sites that I had first gone to, as well as looking up a couple others, in order to formulate 2 entries that made sense – for the msot part. For me, it is far easier to sense the logical fallacy within the written word than within the spoken. Of course, you may be able to reach the same conclusions through discussion – you say your piece, your colleague says theirs, and in so doing you are introduced to angles not previously considered. Either one can work fine – except that you can say "okay, I will look into that" and never do subsequent to the discussion, but if you want to finish a cogent entry into your blog, you gotta finish the research before you make the post.
Thirdly, having these discussions with my friend is tantamount to preaching to the choir. Like I said, having discussions among people with similar view points of the world is very self-validating. But then what of it? You discuss, you agree, you perhaps shift your opinion slightly to the left or the right, but it still remains in the same box. And nobody else cares about your box – they are already trying to defend their own. To combat this, I have started introducing some of the concepts I occasionally research to my other friends – almost all of whom are theists – with varying degrees of limited success. During these times, I have occassionally thought to myself – I wish I could just do up an email explaining to them the unlikely existence of this concept of "the free will" or the contradictions within their current concept of "God". Well I suppose this blog may address that, but let's be clear, I have no intentions of having them follow this blog; my intentions are only to direct them to an entry here and there when something salient arises.
Because of these 3 factors, the only people likely to read this blog are those who already know me. So there is absolutely no need for me to generate a post describing myself – physical attributes, likes or dislikes, my horoscope sign and whether I like long walks on the beach. If you are using this blog to understand such things about me, well... you're in for time-consuming treat. You can probably establish such a profile by reading all of my past and future entries – because nothing gives insight to a person's outlook on life than detailed analyses of their views on specific issues. And within these articles, you may find more mundane aspects of my personality – like in the previous 2, you will come to understand that I am okay with dropping the f-bomb once in a while.
So this is my Blogspot identity. Deal with it. Or return to watching Lady Gaga videos on youtube.
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