Most authors of columns such as this probably think of themselves as being merchants of knowledge — educating, informing, urging, enlightening, and in some cases, even offering support.
Aside from serving intellectual or uplifting mental food to the masses, however, they are prompted to keep it more personal, recognizing or describing small particles rather than chunks of this event we call life.
At first, my only reason for creating the website was to inform people of my first book. Soon afterward, however, I recognized it as a chance to share with others much of what I’ve learned over the years as a writer, editor, journalist, and traveler.
Serving as a backdrop for all of it was my rural upbringing, a much simpler and uncomplicated life than what most people experience or know about. Adding a regular column to the website is a convenient way to present those values and suggest ways they can be applied to modern living.
The readership I have for the columns is dwarfed by similar efforts by others who have many hundreds to thousands and sometimes even millions of followers. Considering the world’s vast communication network, that surely would be a satisfying accomplishment.
To me, however, that hasn’t been at all intimidating. I treasure every reader of this column. As evidence, when I receive a note from a reader I send a personal reply. Far from merely thanking them, I attempt to support and often expand on whatever thoughts they have expressed.
That is, whatever your thoughts and beliefs, you aren’t alone. You need to know that others are also thinking along those same lines, maybe not exactly or in the same way, but definitely in the same general direction.
This indicates that not only am I creating awareness, informing, or urging, but I am also confirming what you already know or think you know — revealing to you in reassuring fashion that you aren’t alone in your concerns.
True, it will never be an exact fit because no two human beings are identical. It will, however, be good enough to convince you that no matter how reckless or off the wall your ideas about life might be, you can be assured they likely have also been identified and thought about by others in similar fashion.
That’s more important than you might first realize because all of us must adapt at a pace not imagined only a few years ago. Consider this: Not until about 35 years ago was there such a thing as email. And only in the last 25 have we had the world wide web and cell phones. Both have revolutionized how we communicate whether one to one or one to many.
Add these to all the other changes and you begin to understand why the thoughts of some people range from those “in the know” to those who aren’t. In between is a vast mix of attitudes, traditions, and habits that make us different one from the other.
As a result, it’s possible that many people share the same beliefs, have the same solution to a problem, or are able to define the problem in similar ways. Sometimes, we must be reminded that at least in some respects, others think as we do.
It’s no wonder, then, that I often take comfort in reminding or reassuring readers of this column that no, they aren’t alone in their thoughts, what they believe, and how and what they imagine.
In those respects, there are more out there just like them.
