Why do We Do This?

Straight AheadI was talking to my parents on the phone Saturday afternoon. The subject of blogs and blogging came up, and my father asked me a very logical and interesting question. "Why do people spend so much time on blogs?" he wanted to know. And later, more pointedly, he asked, "Why do you do it?" Now, my parents don't own a computer. I think my mother would thoroughly enjoy having one, and learning to use it, but they don't have one. My father, however, does know about blogs and what they are. I must admit that when he asked me that question, I was totally unprepared with a cogent, witty, compelling answer! So when a question like this comes up, what does a man do? Well, of course, he asks his wife! Keep in mind that my wife doesn't use the computer, either! She doesn't know anything about a computer except how to read the screen! But she does know her husband. So after getting off the phone with my parents, I asked Lydia. "I've got an interesting question for you," I told her. "Ok," she said. What is it?" "Why do people do blogs?" I asked, "Or, more to the point, why do *I do blogs?" Interestingly, she had a good answer to the question much quicker than I did. "Well, some people do it to boost their ego!" "Oh," I said, in stunned disbelief, "surely that wouldn't have anything to do with why I do it." Well, we talked about it for a while, turning it over in our minds, laughing, serious, pondering. I have always enjoyed writing. And blogging is certainly proving to be one way to get around roadblocks of media, the usual difficulties in publishing books, and the trials of running a newspaper or radio station. It's a good way to share my thoughts with friends and hopefully a lot of folks who may become friends and possibly reach out to many people I'll never know in person. But the question still kind of hangs out there. Why do we do this? I'm not sure I completely know the answer myself; but then, maybe we don't need to know. Maybe we just enjoy it! Ego boost? Nah, couldn't be that.