Journaling
to Redemptive Living  Posted
Mar-03-2005
Writing is an emotional outlet for many people, and
evidence of this is seen in the explosion of personal online
journals and blogs in recent years. When I say personal,
I'm not talking about industry, community, or news blogs.
I'm referring to blogs that individuals start with the intention
of reflective journaling or diary keeping.
From a distance it may appear that some of these blogs lack
substance and echo the mundane in the lives of their authors.
But is it really fair to judge the emotional and/or spiritual
release (and growth) these online tools afford to people? I
mean, wouldn't it be tacky to read someone's private diary
and exclaim, "Man, this sucks. You're not entertaining
enough for me!"
Regarding the seemingly "fad" of personal blogs
in recent years, I've heard blog snobs say things like, "Blogs
are just the new personal home pages that people post family
vacation pictures on.", and "Boring people writing
boring stuff", or "Who cares what a 12 or 24-year-old
does during the day." Sadly, some high-profile bloggers
even look down on those who don't have a substantial blogging
fan base or who don't write about things that interest them.
Isn't it funny that such snobbery even exists? Who cares about
blog snobs and what they have to say?
Well, some people do. And that's one of the challenges with
personal blogging and online journals. People who start blogs
as a tool of personal expression soon stray from being true
to themselves in favor of writing for an audience. They begin
to put a lot of emphasis on how many readers come to their
blogs and how much feedback they get on their posts and forget
about why they began to blog in the first place. Far too many
stifle their feelings and authenticity under the eyes of scrutiny.
And some stop writing. Why? Because personal writing is such
a personal thing. And when feedback fails to reinforce
or pat us on the head we forget ourselves.
I have a lot of respect for those who keep their active blogs
and journals private or undercover for very few to read, and for those who choose not to have posting feedback on their soulful expressions if it's not necessary to them. To
me that shows a certain confidence in the self-growth process.
It allows a writer to focus on expressing their true thoughts
and feelings without censoring themselves for fear of outside
criticism. It allows a writer to become the author of their
own soul, and not a journalist to humor
others.
Beyond the Reflective Self
No matter if a writer blogs or journals publicly or privately,
they will benefit more from the practice if they gain personal
insight or wisdom within the process. Thus, thin- and thick-skinned
writers alike might appreciate this slightly different perspective
on journal writing by a PhD.
In his article, Journaling
as a Tool to Redemptive Living, David L. Russell discusses
a different approach to journal writing that reaches beyond
the scope of journaling for self-reflection or self-analysis.
He wrote:
After wading through a myriad of books on journaling,
I have found that the overwhelming focus has been on "Self." Suggestions
and topics such as,"finding the real you" and "writing
about yourself" are typical self-centered topics that
often seem to have little follow-up to them. What good
does it do for any of us to journal our way into self-realization
if we then fail to take it to the world around us?"
Did that get your attention? If so, you'll enjoy the rest
of his article here.
(© 2005 Chris Dunmire) •
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