Origins - Earliest thoughts

Origins

I started writing as a way to put substance to things I experienced or couldn't identify.

Things I Write

As you spend time reading what I have written, you will notice multiple writings that appear to be nearly identical. They are the same thought, but with only a different word or phrase used. That small difference is due to not having a preferred word to use when expressing that thought. The variations in word choice provide a slightly different perspective of that thought. Occasionally, one word will seem to be a better or stronger choice. And other times the word variation makes little difference.

When using words, I like to keep the thought as brief as possible. I like to start the thought using as few words as I can to express what I am thinking. A lot of that comes from time spent as a Technical Writer. Often, using fewer words prevents clouding or crowding what is presented to the reader.

However, as I think more about a thought, the number of words used often increases. So, as more words are used, the sentence gets longer. It isn't that more thought results in more words to express it, but often additional words provide a shading or variation on a single thought. For example:

• Those who admit their ignorance are considered ignorant.
• Those who admit their ignorance are considered ignorant by those who really are.
• Those who admit their ignorance are considered ignorant by those who are really ignorant.

What I have learned is that the same word can have a different meaning or significance to someone else. That can be due to multiple factors, such as their background, their life experience, and where they are in their life journey. Each life is different and therefore, how they perceive and process a thought statement varies. A certain phrasing of a thought may be more meaningful to one person than it is to another.

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Why even bother to write down a thought?

I find thinking to be an incredibly personal thing to do. It isn't that I think my thoughts are so different, but I do believe I have had different experiences. And at the same time, I have also had experiences that are similar to what many others have had in their lives.

What I have learned is that thoughts are like smoke in the wind. There is a hint of something, which if ignored can be lost from consciousness forever. Yet, other thoughts recur until they are addressed and given substance by being transformed by molding them with words. Giving substance to a thought in words is like planting a seed in a garden. By itself, a single thought (seed) does not amount to much. But, adding one thought to another thought allows rows of consciousness to grow and flourish.