Dont be a drone...

I was talking to my friend Jason recently about this resurgence of blogging that seems to be happening. I know people have been blogging for a while now, but only recently it seems that all my friends have started to post blogs. So anyway, we were discussing this and he commented that he thinks "one of the best things we can do with our time is read and/or write." This seems very basic, but when you think about it...do we really ever do these things? I mean, really do them to exercise our mind and not out of obligation to our job or school.

Reading expands the boundaries of our minds I think. It stretches our knowledge base and forces us to focus our energy on a subject. I have experienced the satisfaction of ingesting a good piece of literature lately and there is something extra special about it. It takes more effort than watching TV or even listening to music (both enjoyable activities) and that leads us to appreciate that act of reading more. I cant wait now to come home from work and just sit with a book for an hour or so. It is truly a relaxing activity, yes stimulates your mind at the same time. I think it enriches our souls. I have no proof of this, but that is just my recent thoughts on reading.

As for writing, I have lately discovered a new benefit to this pastime. Organization. Historically I have used writing to experiment with diction and tried to paint pictures with words. I would only write if I thought I had a really big idea or a clever way of putting something. However since starting this blog I have seen that through writing, my thoughts have an outlet to take shape and organize into useful knowledge. Nothing special, just working through the muddled thought soup that is my brain. There have been a few posts where I just started typing with a vague idea, then through spilling out words, actually identified what had been floating around in my head. Sometimes it just helps to get it out. To find the root of the situation so you can deal with it.

Thinking about this subject, writing, also led me to consider creativity in general. Writing is a form of creating, as well as the other arts such as painting, playing music, etc. I think using our minds to create is a very special thing to do. It taps into one of God's attributes that he shares with us. We are made in His image and while we certainly do not have his omnipotence we do have the capacity to create. Id go so far as to say that one of the defining characteristics of God is creativity. Anyway, using our minds to create is showing Him that we appreciate what he has bestowed on us. Its not the only way to do that, but it is one way. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then when we are creative we are worshiping Him in a way. Kinda cool, huh? I thought it was an interesting thought. Lets not let these abilities atrophy. I encourage you to read, write, and enjoy these precious gifts He has given us!