Does a writer make a difference?
“Writer‘s and journalists are very influential in society. Even if human life is short-lived, written texts can survive for centuries. In Buddhism, for example, it is because of the teachings of Buddha, of Shatideva and other great masters have been put into writing that they have been able to teach people for so long about love, compassion and the altruistic attitude of the enlightened mind; and this is why we can still study them today. Unfortunately, other texts have been at the root of tremendous suffering, such as those which spread the extreme ideologies of fascism and communism. Indirectly writers have the power to create the happiness or the unhappiness of millions of beings.”
H.H. The Dalai Lama, 365 Dalai Lama, Daily Advice from the Heart, p 158
“A powerful agent is the right word. Whenever we come upon one of those intensely right words in a book or a newspaper the resulting effect is physical as well as spiritual, and electrically prompt.” Mark Twain
As blogging is mainly about writing, I thought I would look at the question; “Does blogging inspire people, or is it just entertainment?”
To me it can be either or even both. I have read blogs that left me with sore sides from laughing, others have left me feeling saddened, yet others have provoked outrage. Some have inspired me to try something new, even if it is only a different recipe for pound cake. Some have pictures that take my mind to far off places, some I visited once many years ago, some have always been on the bucket list, others I never even thought of until seeing a picture here on WordPress. There have been days that I needed something to inspire me, yet on others it was to distract my mind from being stuck in loop mode.
The other quandary we face is how to find those blogs we don’t even think we might like. Fresh pressed helps, but it will never highlight all the blogs, that are worth looking at. So you you randomly poke and prod, or search for topics that might interest you? I recently came up with a manually operated search method. It works like this choose a number between one and nine. Now from either Freshly pressed or one of the blogs you follow, after reading the post, head on down to the likes. You will see all those faces staring back at you, the ones that like what you just read. Take the number you have chosen, count along till you reach said target. Click on the button, and see if the have a blog, if they do go read it. Some of the ones you find this way will intrigue you, as they will present a viewpoint you never considered. Yet other’s may make you so mad you can’t speak or you can’t stop screaming at the top of your lungs, as the person advocates, what you would spend your whole life to stop from happening. Oh about the yelling, aren’t you glad WordPress doesn’t have voice yet. Some of you are asking what happens if there aren’t enough blogs to reach the number you have chosen, go with the last one that is there. You say there are more than nine there, then you can visit multiples of the number you have chosen. The whole idea is to explore WordPress, to find the Undiscovered Blog, and perhaps find that little gem that hasn’t been Freshly Pressed. Just go out and explore. If you have a method of finding blogs off of the mainstream, share it in a comment.
Your still here, good, as I have one thing to say, if you find one of those hidden gems, let the rest of us know. Happy reading.
I fall behind and I catch up and I fall behind again…that is the trouble with following so many talents who evoke such a wide range of emotion and thought!!
Ok, Mimi what’s your secret? I NEVER seem to catch up, just when I think I have, I find another blog to follow
Wow, I wish I had a secret – that way I’d never fall behind! It just seems to be the natural flow of this community…:-)
That’s exactly what I do to find new blogs. Great advice!
I knew there was a reason I followed your blog, you have that to go where no reader has gone before look in your picture.
I had someone ask me where I find all the great blogs I follow, thinking I had an inside connection or some such advantage. If I just followed freshly pressed, I would have a much shorter list of blogs I follow.
I’m glad you were able to find my blog through the freshly pressed yesterday and thought it was insightful like how you describe above. I appreciate your insight on writing and definitely resonates with me because I feel like just having the ability to reach out and potentially inspire or entertain someone that I don’t know makes the effort completely worth it.
Pingback: FROM THE BLOGGING COUCH IN A GALAXY NOT SO FAR AWAY! « tryingtowriteit