Nerve Endings Firing Away

More than six months and twenty thousand odd page views, I feel that this is a good time to reflect on my blog. I started out tentatively merely as excuses to write few thoughts that linger around in my mind until they would die a premature death. Honestly, my blog has been the silver lining of the otherwise dark 2003, considering some academic and personal setbacks that dominated my thoughts. I learnt to voice my opinions rather than let it fade away and was pleasantly surprised to see rank strangers agree with some of them, even the most ludicrous ones found an audience.

Writing always has been cathartic and cleansing for me and serves as a perfect outlet for my innermost thoughts. My anonymity lets me think aloud and although it is less anonymous now than when I started out, it has lent the real-world feel to blogging. I have written about things that I normally wouldn’t speak out in the real world. Earlier due to inevitability of proximity, my roomies knew of the existence of my blog but the fact that they hardly read it made little difference. But I readily revealed the existence of my blog to other close friends after I was sure I wouldn’t be ridiculed. But since I do not want to win the Iowa and New Hampshire caucuses for the Democratic nomination, I prefer the anonymity of the medium.

Blogging, in a way not only elevated my understanding of people but also gave me an insight into their psyches. Some people are troubled by little things while others are unfazed with greater calamities. Some people find joy in simple pleasures of the world while others constantly crib about the banalities of the same world. Relationships to some are completely incomprehensible whereas for others, it is a breeze. Every blog is a lesson in itself and attempts to conceal their true self mostly are in vain.

Those who choose to keep their lives private and instead blog on other social or political issues in fact reveal much more in a direct manner. Resilience to back up your thoughts with compelling arguments is an art not easily learnt. But thanks to their efforts, apart from delving into their psyches, I have tons of information that I wouldn’t have read otherwise, at my fingertips. I rediscovered the art of reading, which unfortunately, in the age of MTV, my attention span had hit an all-time low.

The political, social, and cultural opinions that I read about are as varied as the seasons themselves. But it is always refreshing to read a post that inflames my thoughts and motivates me to enrich my rusted nerve endings.

Another flip side I hadn’t envisaged was the cultivation of great friendships that I never knew could be made online. After the “everyone is a dog on the internet” joke, I had promised myself that I wouldn’t meet anyone from cyberspace, but two great meetings have drastically altered that view.

Meeting people who hail from different backgrounds and cultures united only in thoughts on personal and social issues is a great feeling. But I rather reserve this for special occasions, Ankh and Melodrama chided me for having double standards on blogger meets. No offense to the Mumbai or Delhi Bloggers Meet, I still stand by my earlier statement which is entirely personal. I wouldn’t meet a whole bunch of blog strangers. Being qualitative rather than quantitative might explain some pieces of the puzzle but I would definitely be lost in the maze of surprise mass meetings. I rather prefer meeting one-on-one or a handful at the most and spend more quality time with each. I expect tons of counter comments on this view and surprisingly would also agree with them.

Cheers to six more months of blogging and to even more friendships. Blog on!