My Thoughts on My Thoughts on My Thughts

When I started this blog a couple of years ago my main goals were to fill some time while I was retired. I had planned to write about some subjects I find interesting and tell some stories readers might find interesting. I had planned to write about some of the things I have seen in almost three decades of working as a nurse. I also thought I might write about some of my other adventures such as the times I was involved in protests against the Viet Nam War. I wanted to write about books and movies. And I thought I might reproduce some good old poetry that I have enjoyed. And as time progressed I found I could also add music that I enjoy.
I had always wanted to write about mythopoeic thought and bring it to a wider audience. I did write about mythopoeic thought early on. But what I wrote was not very good. Maybe someday I’ll take it up again. The poetry on the blog is never anything but older, out of copyright greats. The poems I post are ones that I have enjoyed. And I often think that others might enjoy the insights in them or the unusual imagery that sometimes catches my attention. A few weeks ago I posted a poem by the ancient Greek lawgiver Solon. I felt that my readers might enjoy observing the difference between his way of looking at the world in contrast to some of the ways our contempories see it.
The basic theme was that I would create something on the net that would mirror my interests and what I find important. I was semi-successful at that until the recent election. Then I became near totally obsessed with politics. As I saw such a yawning gap between what I discovered about Barack Obama’s history and what was being presented by the MSM I think I might have had some delusion that I was not then aware of that some little blog off in a far corner of the net could help set things aright. I do know that I felt some sense of mission. And my blog became almost all political (with rare intrusions of poetry and music).
I have started a separate blog to write about books and provide background material for understanding the classics (it’s The Chinese Jar, named from an image in a favorite poem). And I have gotten pretty comfortable with this blog now being mostly about politics. There continues to be poetry and music from time to time. Sometimes I wonder if my readers are even interested in the music and poetry. I know that I was gratified to know that my father greatly enjoyed my posts of the Carolina Chocolate Drops and Tuba Skinny. But music and poetry will stay since there are not marketing decisions that must be made here. I have never make a cent off this blog and do not expect to ever make any money from it. So I might as well make myself happy.
I do not always enjoy writing. But sometimes some idea or theme will grab hold of my imagination and I will not let go of it until I feel comfortable posting it or I have made such a mash of it that I put it aside. I do not find writing easy. It requires lots of attention and focus. And since I have diabetes and mild kidney disease I have limited energy. I can seldom write more than an hour a day. So anything requiring much time and effort goes slowly for me. Fortunately or unfortunately as it may be, I usually have some idea that has gained some hold on me that sits in a file waiting to be continued or finished.
Just as I do not methodically and rationally come to ideas to write about I have a similar approach to choosing video clips to be posted. I look at many every day just as part of my effort ot stay informed. And the ones that end up on my blog are the few that some loud, intuitive voice within says, “Yes, we need this one. This one helps paint the picture of the world we want to convey.” I seldom consciously override that voice. The main reason I would override it is usually a conviction that the clip in question is too widely disseminated already and I do not want to subject my readers to another appearance of it.
That is a quick overview of how I have experienced my change in mission over the couple of years that I’ve produced this blog. I intend to keep it mostly politics. There will be a little poetry (I hate to think of life without poetry). And there will be music of all kinds. My favorite finds recently are Hayley Westenra, the Chocolate Drops and Tuba Skinny. I’m sure they will continue to appear along with some of the pop hits of my youth, good swing and jazz and some opera. And sometimes I get on a Vivaldi, Corelli, Bach, Scarlatti, etc. kick that is sure to manifest itself on the blog.
I am open to suggestions and like input. But except for a few fairly regular individuals, I get little. Go ahead and tell me what you think.