In any endeavor of life, results lay on the base of purpose. The basis of writing is crucial for the craft, as meaning is for life; living without meaning is nihilistic and painful, and writing without a why is dull and trivial. One without a compelling why produces subpart output and forfeits on adversity. Unfortunately, the educational system painted writing as a shallow chore for only demonstrating knowledge. That developed a distaste for the craft. This aversion is not only false, but dangerous. Writing holds the potential to save our life.
Writing Is Thinking
Our thinking is fallible. It cannot hold long-term memories, or discuss various arguments at once, and emotion influence it. Writing amends those flaws and sets the stage for critical examination. The paper can store many thoughts, which the writer can organize, tweak, and delete, resulting in a refined idea of something important. Writing forces us to think, dig deep, and find the truth from what started as an abstract thought. We realize we do not know what we believe, but we have the opportunity to find out. Writing takes thinking to a whole other level.
Our Thoughts Dictate Our Life
Our ability to think differentiates us from animals. Instead of being forever ruled by our appetite, we have a will. Thinking creates a gap between need and response, where we can contemplate and choose our path. We can gather facts, imagine the future, and change our actions. We have the option to trade present pleasure for future possibilities. And while there is still a primal part in us, our thoughts can overcome them—if they are compelling enough. Our thoughts are the captains of our life, and they can stir us to either heaven or hell. Good thinking creates abundance, fulfillment, health, and love. Bad thinking creates greed, regret, illness, and malice.
Writing morphs abstracted abstractions into concise, clear, and effective beliefs that create affluence in the soul. We clear the gunk and chisel the fine until there is only solid ground that cultivates a fulfilling, prosperous life.
The Contribution of Our Writing
The creation of the writing does not stay within the confines of the typewriter, but is shared among others. A story causes both the teller and the listener to emote psychological change. An idea discussed transitions through another’s consciousness, which makes it fuller and sturdier. Writing opens the door to sharing our thoughts and tales without the bounds of space and time; they can reach countless humans even after our passing. The ability to transmit complex ideas and develop them in communion gives immense power to it. Those ideas grow bigger and greater and trample old notions that are not as good.
It Is All Writing
Civilization in all its aspects is built on ideas. Things like nations, politics, properties, human rights, etc. do not exist in the natural world, there is no tiger currency or flamingo bill of rights. All that we have seemed from the minds of humans. The volume and complexity of those ideas could not have been woven into the mind. It was through writing, discussing, and tweaking that those ideas formed their way into the fabric of our existence. From the way checks work to democracy, it was a spark of thought put into writing, examined, reviewed, tested, and finally, implemented. Writing gives us the power to expand our thinking to unimaginable proportions. Ideas make or break countries, they kill or save, they establish freedom or tyranny, and they set the background for happiness or sorrow. Writing is the birthplace of every idea.
Conclusion: The Gift of Writing, Why Write?
As individuals, writing teaches us to think, and thinking shapes our lives. Writing strengthens our sense of authenticity and opens the path to fulfillment. Writing gifts prosperity, patience, character, compassion, and love.
As a culture, the world stands as proof of the value of writing. From religion to technology, all man-made started as thoughts that could have only been developed in the meadows of writing. Complex thoughts are galvanized and adjusted by the minds of many humans in a never-ending pursuit of the good. To this day we still discuss notions of the county, technology, environment, etc. all of which could not exist without writing.
We write for various reasons: we might enjoy the aesthetic of it, or it is a way to lie off our story, or we want to present our thoughts on an issue important to us. But at the core of writing stands the human need to make things better. Writing is the blueprint of civilization; it asks not how should we do something but what should we do. Writing touches the most delicate fabrics of what we call “existence” and creates a shift in the movement of human life. It is our privilege to practice it.