Writing

Andrew Sullivan, a noted blogger, is a professional writer, a political commentator, a Roman Catholic and a gay man. His politics have varied from rabid Bush-ism to rabid anti-Bushism in the previous decade. In other words, he is a Republican, allied with wealth and libertarian ideals. Like many Brits and Canadians who come to America, he seems to be attracted to the rough trade of the Right Wing. The mystery of Mr. Sullivan's politics and religious views is his own status as an HIV-positive person. 

Mr. Sullivan is trying to make a living as a membership-site writer. So far he has succeeded quite well at getting readers to subscribe to his site for $19.95. May he live and prosper.

As a person who blogs about my own humanist practice, I do not consider myself a writer. In other words, I am not peddling my words here. Never have. Never will. There are no ads in my sidebars. Any links I post here are not done so as part of any monetary relationship. 

This is the difference between this blog and many others. I am not aspiring to a career path by writing my daily thoughts here. I am using this vehicle to sort out those thoughts in public as an attempt to show others the value of mental process, put into writing. Using the brain and the fingers to give form to my own ideas and principles. That is the point of this exercise for me. 

Writers like Mr. Sullivan and others who write for various commercial blogs are in the business of writing about ideas. Mostly, they write about their reactions to the ideas of others. They are commentators, critics and opinion-makers. I cannot help thinking that the money factor corrupts the personal honesty of this form of writing. In an age during which populist celebrity is currency, this is probably unavoidable. 

It has been helpful for me to consider these aspects in relation to writing this blog. This is post 1,461 between The Practical Humanist and the previous Buddha's Pillow. I have no idea how many pages of ideas I have written in those posts over the years. I do know that I have spent approximately 3 months, about 2200 hours, of my life in writing this blog. It has been well worth it.