Romancing the Blog: I have a love-hate relationship with blogs.
Let’s start with the HATE: Anybody can write a baseless rant and start a cyber frenzy that could cause serious harm to other people. This is a serious problem because human nature makes us gravitate to news stories, movies, and, yes, blogs that are shocking or tragic.
Now for LOVE: Blogs are the modern version of the 1700’s pamphlets that Ben Franklin and other visionaries used to call for change and shape our country. Thomas Payne, one of the most famous pamphleteers, championed individual rights and challenged corruption in the government and church by writing his views on a single piece of paper and hand-distributing them to the people of Philadelphia. The people would then write their views and comments on the back and continue passing it along. Good penmanship was important.
Thomas Payne is best known for the book he fervently wrote in six weeks, Common Sense. It was a huge success wrought with unforgettable quotes like “Society is produced by our wants, and government by our wickedness.” Three-hundred years later, this still rings true. He also penned a quote we should remember for this New Year: “We have it in our power to begin the world over again. The birthday of a new world is at hand.”
We don’t have to change the world this year “ that task would overwhelm most of us“ but we can change our world– small changes produce BIG results! You don’t need to quit your job or move out of your home. Instead, start a new task at work or rearrange your house. You will be surprised at how small changes snowball to create even BIGGER results.
My small change this year: commit to romancing the blog by writing in my blog more often. It is sort of a minor New Year’s Resolution I suppose. Thankfully I have staff that will remind me to write something and even ask me to write on certain topics they know I am knowledgeable about.
