Have you ever taken the time to truly consider the power of the written word? With the immense blog craze going on these days, it’s hard to remember what life was like before we had the ability to post our innermost thoughts, emotions, and, quite often, aggravations on the internet for the entire world wide web to see in all their glory. It puzzles me to think that some people view blogging as a source of personal catharsis and personal growth when there is nothing personal about blogging, save from the poetic and/or journalistic license one is granted by the rules of the English language and the First Amendment.
Don’t get me wrong; I’m a writer, myself, and to dismiss the power of writing in terms of strengthening oneself and coloring their character would be the ultimate contradiction and make my college education pointless. I guess it’s just sort of intimidating to know the consequences of one’s own words today.
Ask any writer about their past work, and, no doubt, they will cringe half of the time. While we are all proud of our accomplishments, modern society has instilled a fear of conviction into our minds and spirits which is not yet ready to depart from us. I often wonder why people are so eager to write daring, progressive journalistic and literary pieces in the youth of their careers, when their success or failure is wholly dependent on the waves they can send through society, but rush to cover them as soon as they’ve made a name for themselves.
This forces me to ask the following questions:
1. Should we fear our own words?
2. Why should our viewpoints and philosophies be muffled under the pressure of a media-ready society?
While the answers to these questions may vary based upon personal subjectivity and the conditions under which one is writing, the question that is at the core of the whole debate over the abandonment of conviction and self-imposed censorship is quite simple:
Are we afraid of change, or ourselves?
I don’t know about you, but I began writing in order to make a difference in the world in the best way I knew how: by unveiling the truths right in front of our eyes which we often lose sight of. If I wanted to fabricate lies, I’d've written a novel. Am I in the wrong business? Please, someone, let me know.
[This is just an introduction to my blog, and is the reason behind the title "Shameless."]
