This I Believe: On Writing

Language is communicated in two ways: through the vibrations of vocal cords, or speech, and the physical, written form of transferring ideas from abstract to concrete.

I write to better understand my world. I write to harness a vague emotion or thought process, and convert it into a more universal format, speculating on possible consequences and questions. I write to better understand my understanding. I write to express the beauty and ugliness ever present in the human experience.

I believe that conversation is important. We are naturally social beings and it is a prerequisite for any success within our representative democracy that honest, open, and rational discourse exist among the citizens. Writing lays the foundation for solid self-knowledge which, in turn, slicks the wheels for ethical interpersonal communication.

Most speech has two or more participants; there is usually at least one listener. There is always a shot clock, a very finite, immediate amount of time to develop an appropriate response. In writing, this is not the case. It is mostly a contemplative, solitary activity with temporal pressures coming not from the immediate presence of another but from Death, deadlines, or inner discipline. Decreased immediacy in this case means increased time. Increased time allows for tighter editing. Many opportunities to alter, fix, and refine pave the road to a more objective truth. The writer strives to provide the most authentic and complete view of the world as possible.

I write to better understand myself, those around me, and the world we all co-habitat. It isn’t easy or immediately clear, but I believe that The Most Complete Human exercises his capacity to write for writing as such and to further test and determine any weak or limited areas that can be improved in the name of the whole. The sum of all the individual parts should be quite a bit less than the work as a singular, unified whole. Each sentence should add meaning and value. Each sentence should work towards the same end, the same end that ignited action in the first place: the expression of truth.

Whether it’s to change a paradigm and get in the way or if it is a more aesthetic need to express Beauty, I feel a propulsion to write that is painful to ignore and difficult to begin. I believe that I write for the same reasons I think, love, and live: because I have to. I believe that writing is an ethical imperative.