I doubt, therefore I am
From a gallery window in Palermo. I regret I carelessly lost the sculptor's name.
One of the tendencies of bloggers, I notice, is to announce their readers what music they are listening to/book they are reading/mood they are in/etc. Sometimes this comes across primarily as a statement of identity (online clothing): 'I am erudite.' 'I have eclectic tastes.' 'I am atypical.' 'I am more into science fiction than anyone I have ever met.'
Individuality seems to me at once the most certain and the most illusory aspect of being a person. We are all unique, yet we are all alike. The awareness of our similarities can strike us as reassuring or threatening, according to our condition. [Extra: History and components of the idea of 'individualism'.]
Anyway, today I am very much impressed by what is special about Eric Bibb (whose music my sister recently kindly sent me) and part of my enjoyment arises from recognition of the ordinary emotions we have in common.
5 Comments:
Fred,
This is an interesting blog. Do you ever come to Colombo? I live in Washington, but I travel to Colombo often. I'll be there next week actually. I'm an aspiring blogger too. I have to figure out a way of getting Frontpage to run blogging script. My website is located at www.vikramraghavan.com. What do you do in Jaffna? Do e-mail me at vikram1974@gmail.com.
Vikram
Thanks, Vikram. I don't speak Frontpage, but I'll e-mail.
You are spot on about the 'online clothing' - I think there's a lot still to be said about the psychology of blogging.....but the opportunity to present to many other people an aspect of oneself that is partial and heavily controlled by the individual is an interesting one....
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I'm not sure any of us know what we're really up to with these online journal/scrapbook thingies, beyond the self-indulgence. Tentative orthodoxies seem to be emerging in the myriad dimensions of self-expression, reflection, projection, communication, creativity, fraternity, community, commentary, etc. It's bound to get really interesting as blogs get more diverse and new possibilities for the medium are explored. Perhaps this is how we'll all spend our time after the energy crisis: too many people, not enough work, no affordable transport, autonomous education, rampant nostalgia, everyone's an artist, etc etc.
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