Sarah and I enjoy listening to NPR podcasts when we go on long drives, our favorite being Speaking of Faith. However, we also listen to This I Believe sometimes. At the beginning of January we decided that we would both write one and submit it. I had plans all month to create a beautiful, deep and reflective piece to submit.
Around 11pm on January 31st I was typing madly, trying to throw something together in about 30 minutes. I decided to write about how I believe in blogging. It seemed fitting. I received an email last week from This I Believe letting me know that while my essay was not selected to be broadcast, it was put on their online database of essays (like every other one that is submitted, I imagine). However, if you want to read about some of the reasons I believe in blogging, you can check it out here.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
“I believe in blogging because blogging gives a voice to everyone. Blogging takes the power out of the hands of the elite and gives the power of words and communication to those who may otherwise have no power to speak. Blogging gives anyone who is able to create a blog a platform to share their thoughts, ideas and stories.”
Adam,
Obviously I’m interested in blogging on some level cause here I am. But does blogging really give a voice to everyone? Realistically, the power has not truly been lifted out of the hands of the elite as one could argue that there is a substantial level of privilige required to access a computer globally let alone to have time and resources to blog. I too enjoy the stories and thoughts but I think you are greatly overstating the power to speak granted by the blogsphere.
-Michael
Michael,
Thanks for your comment…yes, it is a bit of a bold statement. And you are right — having a computer in the world today still does put you at a greater socio-economic level than many in our world. However, there have been some very influential homeless bloggers, who never owned their own computer but were at the disposable of the local public libraries - and they were given a voice they never would have had before.
I also think of the proliferation of internet cafes ALL over the world - and while you are right that not everyone has access, it doesn’t take much to be able to jump on a computer in an internet cafe in Bethlehem, Palestine, or on the coastal town of Dahab in the Sinai Desert.
So, while I may have overstated — I think it still may be a possibility.
Far be it from me to squash possibilities…good point on the homeless bloggers, ‘ll check that out. I’m still saying that what might not “take much” for folks like you and me is not only much but too much for much of the global population. But there is possibility yes.
Michael, here are a few links if you’re interested: The Homeless Guy’s blog here and articles here and here.
e3l7EI hi great site thx http://peace.com