A friend slammed it right in my face, when I asked him to
critique a draft of a piece I had written.
He demanded: Why do you blog?
I was stunned. I set
up "Grains of Sand" last November merely out of curiosity. I had no conscious
intention in mind. As far as I was
concerned, I was tired of being bugged to blog and so one rainy morning I
relented. I jumped into the water flailing my neurons and synapses having no
clue where I am headed to or at least none that I was conscious of.
Since that day in November, I had been blogging daily. I scoured
the web for topics to write about. I listened to stories of friends. I looked
around me and in me.
I found my answer.
On Facebook, Louise, a friend, conscientiously posts inspirational quotes. Cindy shares Jesus. Ken fights
for Hawaiian autonomy. Antonio waxes poetry and romance. For Ferdie,
Facebook is all about humor and laughter.
People post what they eat; where they are; what they're
doing; and what they've seen and heard. Through pictures, links, comments and "likes, "
they share themselves.
As I write this I
hear the cacophony of the gazillion
Coqui frogs in my yard. Those tiny illegal immigrants from Puerto
Rico sing only in the dark. They protest the sun's going.
Sometimes they rejoice about how the sun will return.
Like the frogs, I lament the darkness stealthily creeping in
the world. Nations are racing against
each other in stockpiling weapons of mass destruction. There are tons of
deadly radio-active nuclear waste that are
being dumped and imperceptibly making
their way to our doorsteps. In Canada,
Harp seals are horribly clubbed to death. In India, women are brutally raped
only to be violated again by society's indifference. Mere
children are exploited toiling in the sweatshops of Asia if not
gunned down in the schools of America. I can rant, rail and wail endlessly despite knowing that my efforts are mere matchsticks ramming high and thick walls of ignorance, complacency and apathy.
On the other hand, I celebrate new discoveries in science; greater
understanding of how technology impacts
our lives; revealing insights into the dynamics of
our changing society; and even our ability to make fun of ourselves and find humor
in the absurd, beauty in the madness, or something remarkable in the ordinary -- all indispensable pins of light worth spreading to offer relief and hope or elicit a smile.
With my
celebrations and lamentations, I join the Coqui frogs. I stick my
neck out and and share myself with you.
I blog.
Now the least you can do for me is share this. Thanks! :)
Now the least you can do for me is share this. Thanks! :)
A baby Harp seal (photo courtesy of the National Geographic) |
- Ariel Murphy
Yes, but why do you blog? Haha. Just kidding.
ReplyDeleteSo you can share it Mitchell Hegman! haha!
DeleteVERY well written, Ariel...when you retire from blogging...will you co-author my book? :-)
ReplyDeleteAh yes, the Coqui frogs...learned about them during the Tsunami evacuation in Hilo in Oct. Slept in my camper van that night and thought it was a weird kind of bird chirping all night (there was only one that night)...LOL! At the end of this blog, did you mean share the blog or the cute picture of the baby Harp Seal? (many of which are still being clubbed to death these days)
I'd be honored to co-author your next book when I retire from blogging Pete. :) Thanks for reading and sharing m BLOG! :)
DeleteLove it!
ReplyDeleteThanks Louise!
DeleteDon't know how I missed this! You are inspiring.
ReplyDeleteThanks Paul!
Delete