My Netflix rentals have been collecting dust lately. I tend to watch movies in batches, and I think it’s about time to start up again. Last night I sat down and watched About Schmidt. Jack Nicholson plays Warren Schmidt, recently retired insurance actuary and widower. Schmidt finds himself in the unhappy predicament of reaching the final years of his life and realizing it hasn’t been anything like what he hoped for.
Throughout the film, Schmidt struggles to understand what the meaning of his life has been. Has he had any impact? Does he matter in any real sense, or will he be long forgotten in one or two generations — as if he never existed.
We all want our lives to have meaning. We want to believe that what we do has purpose; that it matters to someone, or if we’re fortunate, many “someones.” We want to leave a lasting impact on this big, blue ball we live on.
I struck me that there are parallels to be drawn between the long, lonely life of mediocrity lived by Schmidt, and the long, lonely world of blogs such as this. Blogging in itself solves nothing. A Tool by itself can never make the world a better place. How the Tool is used determines it’s value.
We all know blogs that blather on about stuff of little value or interest to us personally. Like a life without purpose, they exist in the ether; soon to evaporate and be forgotten forever.
No, blogs alone answer nothing. They do not enrich our own lives or the world we live in. But…
When we use the Tool to communicate and connect with other people, we accomplish something meaningful. A connection; a shared idea; a question that makes someone reflect for a moment. These small, seemingly insignificant intersections weave our lives together, influencing and evolving our world.
We all have something of value to share. Say it plainly and directly, and nuture the interconnections that grow.
You’ve put down in words what I have been trying to express all week.
I know some people dismiss blogs outright as the meaningless nothings of the socially inept.
But if it makes someone think, even for a moment, then it is all worth it.
You think?
You’ve put down in words what I have been trying to express all week.
I know some people dismiss blogs outright as the meaningless nothings of the socially inept.
But if it makes someone think, even for a moment, then it is all worth it.
You think?
That’s exactly what I’m doing — thinking. Thanks Etanisla.
I wonder if the Internet is akin to the days when the Ben Franklin’s of the world cranked out their opinions on a primitive little printing press. We can do the same today, but on a larger scale and with a lower point-of-entry. We publish, and if enough people give a damn about what we say, we just might continue.
Speaking of a low point-of-entry, I recently read an interesting blog post titled “If people treated their houses like they do their websites.” (http://www.bookfamily.net/blog/journal_comments.asp?JournalID=117) Very clever, and painfully true.
That’s exactly what I’m doing — thinking. Thanks Etanisla.
I wonder if the Internet is akin to the days when the Ben Franklin’s of the world cranked out their opinions on a primitive little printing press. We can do the same today, but on a larger scale and with a lower point-of-entry. We publish, and if enough people give a damn about what we say, we just might continue.
Speaking of a low point-of-entry, I recently read an interesting blog post titled “If people treated their houses like they do their websites.” (http://www.bookfamily.net/blog/journal_comments.asp?JournalID=117) Very clever, and painfully true.