Sunday, August 9, 2009

Blogging

Why blog? There's something egotistical about preaching one's thoughts on the internet. The very premise acclaims the blogger so fascinating and profound that his ideas are worth sharing. It presumes not only that his acquaintances would care to read his prattle, but that strangers, thousands of miles away, will find some worthy reason to delve into his ideology. The sheer vanity of it!

I've read several blogs that reek of such arrogance. Contributors and commenters snipe back and forth, initially with principled courtesy. Soon, though, the argument deteriorates from its lofty origins to petty insults about improper grammar and tactless phrasing. So many bloggers use their sites as bully pulpits for their demagoguery, proclaiming their own (and obviously correct!) opinions and silencing the (laughably idiotic!) opinions of others.

I am not blogging for these reasons. I plan to disabuse no one. While I certainly find the concept of public discourse via the internet appealing, it unfortunately seems in practice to fall short of its purely theoretical ideals.

So why blog? Well...

I am about to begin a three-year graduate program in directing for theatre. This will likely be the most enlightening experience of my life. By far. From my conversations with current students and alumni of the program, I have gathered that the workload will be onerous. Artistically, I will be engaged in projects constantly. I will aspire to embody an indefatigable work ethic, an exacting attention to detail, and a spartan lifestyle just to survive. I will likely (and begrudgingly!) eschew any type of social life. If you're considering asking me on a date, I'm free in June 2012.

Having just moved from New York City (pop. 13 million) to Macomb, Illinois (pop. 20k... including the 13k students), I'm undergoing severe culture shock, and I believe it will get worse before it gets better. Once the semester begins and the expectations of unremitting creativity are in place, I assume the time will come when I feel the creative block of isolation. I envision myself pounding my head with my fists, cursing the theatre gods for blessing me with this wonderful program that just happens to be located several hours from civilization in a gargantuan corn field. And when that time comes, and I'm bitterly glaring at my receptionless cell phone, I will be glad to be able to talk to strangers on a blog. I will gratefully accept the opportunity to bounce ideas back and forth online, if not in person. I will rely on technological social networking, for it will be my sole option.

And I'll probably blather about plenty of silly fluff, too :)

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