Conversations@Intersections began in May 2008. It consists of more than 1200 posts, over 100 tags and a sizeable number of readers scattered around the globe.
During that month elections or results of elections were announced in Zimbabwe, Ireland, and Russia. Ted Kennedy was diagnosed with a brain tumour and California made same-sex marriage legal. A cyclone ripped through Myanmar, there was an earthquake in China and tornadoes in the US midwest.
We read the daily headlines as they come, have conversations over lunch or coffee with friends and then we get on to the next thing for which we are responsible.
Many of us do not influence the international headlines or drastically change how we live because of them. Time passes.
Since then we've had other elections, other earthquakes and more headlines, including an eruption that affected air travel across Europe.
When disasters and tragedies are far away and we do not know the people involved, we react to the news as spectators and easily turn the page or change the channel. When those events touch our lives more closely, we lean in a bit and concentrate more.
"Too much information," some people complain. "Can't do anything about most of it anyway."
Would it be better not to know? Go back to the way it used to be when news was mostly in a nightly news bulletin on the radio or shared down at the grain elevator or well?
I don't know. I do know that Jenny will probably fly on Friday, Holly's in rehab, Mike & Sara got out of Haiti and Emmanuel's okay. Mugabe's still in office after 30 years and the people in Myanmar are still suffering.
Over the past two years I've written about many things, linked you to various sites or resources and have been stretched by the discipline of writing this blog.
Why did I start? To write, to think coherently and to see who was out there.
My writing has improved overall, I am thinking wider and bigger and deeper and I've "met" some interesting people. I had no idea who would read Conversations@Intersections and am still amazed at how people find it and who comes back. The stats do not reflect those who read via RSS or on Facebook, but that's okay, as long as conversations are happening. Some of those conversations have been confrontational. Did you know that everyone does not always agree with me!? Yep, and that's a good thing. I like it when discussions bring better clarity or correction to previous thinking.
Why do I still write? Because it is a challenge, because I'm fascinated by so many different things and because you're out there.
I wish I could get the tag list in the left hand column down to a manageable size. I've tried consolidating topics and have had some success. It's fascinating that travel and humour top the Top Ten Topics. I like it that many of the tags have to do with big idea kinda stuff or immeasurable but valuable human traits. There's much in the list that reflects my love of words and art. Spiritual topics inevitably flow in and out of posts as who I am has much more to do with being than doing. There should be far more about tea, hospitality, conversations and gardening!
Are you a blogger? What do you write about?
What would you write about if you did start a blog?
Leave your link, your favourite topics or the subject of your blog or book in the comments.
During that month elections or results of elections were announced in Zimbabwe, Ireland, and Russia. Ted Kennedy was diagnosed with a brain tumour and California made same-sex marriage legal. A cyclone ripped through Myanmar, there was an earthquake in China and tornadoes in the US midwest.
We read the daily headlines as they come, have conversations over lunch or coffee with friends and then we get on to the next thing for which we are responsible.
Many of us do not influence the international headlines or drastically change how we live because of them. Time passes.
Since then we've had other elections, other earthquakes and more headlines, including an eruption that affected air travel across Europe.
When disasters and tragedies are far away and we do not know the people involved, we react to the news as spectators and easily turn the page or change the channel. When those events touch our lives more closely, we lean in a bit and concentrate more.
"Too much information," some people complain. "Can't do anything about most of it anyway."
Would it be better not to know? Go back to the way it used to be when news was mostly in a nightly news bulletin on the radio or shared down at the grain elevator or well?
I don't know. I do know that Jenny will probably fly on Friday, Holly's in rehab, Mike & Sara got out of Haiti and Emmanuel's okay. Mugabe's still in office after 30 years and the people in Myanmar are still suffering.
Over the past two years I've written about many things, linked you to various sites or resources and have been stretched by the discipline of writing this blog.Why did I start? To write, to think coherently and to see who was out there.
My writing has improved overall, I am thinking wider and bigger and deeper and I've "met" some interesting people. I had no idea who would read Conversations@Intersections and am still amazed at how people find it and who comes back. The stats do not reflect those who read via RSS or on Facebook, but that's okay, as long as conversations are happening. Some of those conversations have been confrontational. Did you know that everyone does not always agree with me!? Yep, and that's a good thing. I like it when discussions bring better clarity or correction to previous thinking.
Why do I still write? Because it is a challenge, because I'm fascinated by so many different things and because you're out there.
I wish I could get the tag list in the left hand column down to a manageable size. I've tried consolidating topics and have had some success. It's fascinating that travel and humour top the Top Ten Topics. I like it that many of the tags have to do with big idea kinda stuff or immeasurable but valuable human traits. There's much in the list that reflects my love of words and art. Spiritual topics inevitably flow in and out of posts as who I am has much more to do with being than doing. There should be far more about tea, hospitality, conversations and gardening!
Are you a blogger? What do you write about?
What would you write about if you did start a blog?
Leave your link, your favourite topics or the subject of your blog or book in the comments.
Comments