Why I Write

I sit at my computer to bang out my first column of the year reflecting on why I do this every week. A reader or two have asked this question of me through the Letters to the Editor. They have been a little confused about my chosen themes, methods and motivations. I can understand their confusion, because I write about politics, ethics, religion and other less serious things like birds, conspiracies, aliens and imaginary places with silly names such as South Petunia Bottom. So I share with you in no particular order the main reasons for my writing.

First, I enjoy writing because I love the English language and the ability of the written language to force me to think more clearly. Reflecting on life and putting thoughts “on paper” requires me to select one word or phrase over another with some deliberate precision and therefore, to examine my feelings and impressions and then to consider their merit in doing so. By forcing myself to summarize my thoughts or opinions into a few sentences it causes me to weed out extraneous ideas, to notice contradictions more readily and evaluate my own thinking. I also try to write in a daily journal where I speak to myself and write to God. Talking to God in this way means that I am compelled to seek honesty in what I write. It isn’t hard to lie to myself when I am the only audience.

Second, by presenting a column to a reading public it forces a certain precision and care in my thinking in writing about ideas that are complex and multifaceted. A column that has only 500-1000 words can only afford so much wordiness therefore ideas need to be condensed into the essential points. There must be care and discrimination as to what is and is not included. Furthermore, there must be respect given to the perceptions of the readers so that the way I try to present ideas and images must take into consideration their way of thinking and viewing the world. In going public there is also an invitation to a broader community to push back against my views and then to shape my own thinking when this happens. I risk rejection, looking foolish and the like when I present something as personal as my ideas to others in this forum.

This is one of the potential benefits of a community newspaper like the Record. I don’t write out into a vast void but I risk revealing my thinking to people who are my neighbours, fellow members of community organizations, my church. My family, who may or may not share my opinions are drawn into this as well. Pity the poor families of our various columnists and writers whose loved ones regularly risk being exposed to public scrutiny. A local newspaper is a vehicle for keeping a community alive and active. It is a way for diverse voices, experiences and ideas to participate in community dialogue and thus to enrich it – one hopes.

I also write because it is fun. Utilizing a turn of a phrase, a vivid image evoked by words, humour, irony, an unexpected turn in the flow of thought is quite enjoyable and isn’t far off taking a journey with uncertain destination and then inviting others to take the journey with me as a kind of tour guide.

I write because I think that there are ideas and opinions that need to be put before the public for consideration and must not be permitted to disappear or be forgotten. These would include the historical Christian faith and an ethic or worldview that springs from the traditional Judeo-Christian perspective. I write because I assume that there is a necessary place for God in every human endeavour from politics to science and education to entertainment. I believe that there is a divine Creator who in creating has infused a certain order, purpose and beauty into the universe and that by viewing everything with this perspective it gives an outlook worth considering. By so doing we might be startled by a stark seriousness that challenges human silliness. In a paradoxical way it can also serve to invite us to something like bliss, fun and joy by being less preoccupied with ourselves and being drawn into something that might be heavenly beyond the constraints of our earthbound preoccupations. I can thereby poke fun at myself and invite surprise.

So, dear reader, I begin the year with this little offering, the ramblings of a guy named Steve who is grateful for the privilege of doing so and awed knowing that there are some who take time to read them and a paper that is willing to publish them.