blogging=good

I recently read this article from Discovery news about blogging. They say that they have seen how people who blog and are involved in social networks feel more accepted and involved. Hmmm. I wonder why, no seriously though, I definitely agree that blogging is good for mental health, and as well as spiritual health. The article says that research shows people who blog are more confident that others can help them and feel more connected to a community. I think it also has to do with the fact that people feel like they are important. The web is huge and if people can still find and manage to help you, it makes you feel like you matter in the vast world.

Another thing I believe blogging does for people is that it allows people to vent their emotions or feelings as well as stuff they are going through in a constructive way. Instead of holding it in, people are connected and there to help.

The article states that social networking gets people to have more confidence in friendships in face-to-face as well as online. I have to agree, because sometimes when I am face-to-face with some of my friends, there are a lot of distractions that keep real conversations on the sidelines. Blogging helps to make things at least a little more intentional.

For me, I know that blogging has helped me to organize my thoughts and to understand more about what everyone in my life is going through. It helps me to look inside myself and really focus on what I am thinking and to make it in an archived format. I can look back at it whenever I want. I think many of the benefits from my blogging could have been achieved with a journal, but I just don’t do that. On the other hand, I feel like I belong to a community and I am not just talking to myself with my blog, as others can look at it and can discuss things, if not in the comments, then usually in person. I know I can discuss things better after I have already wrote down my thoughts. I know Brian spoke a little about what his thoughts were on blogs, I am curious to know how blogging has influenced the rest of you.

Jumping off a bridge.

I’ll go first. No problem.

For those of you who don’t know already, this blog is meant to serve as an outpost for, uh, whatever. I’ve had a few blogs in the past. Most of them angered my friends more than I would have liked. Well, let me rephrase. I didn’t mind that it angered them so much, but it was never the intention. You see, if I’m going to talk about something, I want to raise a discussion about it. Faith is a great topic for this, but an unfortunately passionate one for too many people, leading to, well nearly the loss of a few friends.

It’s not so hard to believe that people can become to passionate and outraged about the things they hold dear to them, but the internet is a really bad forum for these types of discussions. The first reason, I believe, is that it gives them too much freedom to rant on about something without giving me the chance to say ‘Woah, wait a minute now, that’s not what I’m saying!’ Needless to say, my two short times blogging were fun but powerful learning lessons as what not to say on the internet.

But passion is what drives me to write, talk, yell, scream at the top of my lungs. Passion is what drives so many people to succeed. Passion can destroy the world. Passion can save it, too. Passion should save it, but all too often it’s used for evil and not good. This blog will be the passion outlet for several of us, and not necessarily just for faith or life’s journey. Everything from tech, to road rage, to food, to movies, to books, to music, to… yeah I’m going to stop now.

So here we are. You and I. I’m writing this crap, and once again, you’re reading it. I almost feel bad for you. I say almost because I really enjoy looking at the site statistics you all generate by reading this mindless garbage. So I’m okay with you being here, wasting precious moments of your life that I can’t give back to you. Suckers.

There it is. I’ve jumped off the bridge with my friends yet again. Back to blogging. Talk at you later.