Faith + Reason = Truth

Mike asked me over the weekend the question about when I find time to blog.   It's a question lots of bloggers get.  My answer is that it doesn't take much time - not answering "when", but implying that really any time the muse strikes and I'm at a pc.  Other frequent questions I get include "why? how many read it? who reads it? why do they read it? why do you do it? what do you hope to gain?", etc.  My answers to these have evolved since I started a couple of months ago, going from "I have something to say that people need to hear and I want as many people as possible to read it", which focused me on trying to drive traffic, to "I have lots of things to say and I'm going to spend my time spewing out as much as possible", to "why don't I put some thought and effort into this, regardless who reads it, because every time I post a thoughtful entry on something that's really fighting its competitors for as much of my brain's time and thought processing as it can get, as opposed to a quick-hit commentary on some of the day's headlines, it comes out as something I can actually go back and feel good writing."  As I have put thoughts of audience size completely on the backburner and focused instead on what I feel is important for me to write about on a given day, my hits have diminished dramatically - while my feed subscribers have risen dramatically.  Neither of which matters to me, of course, as long as I get in my daily regimen of focused, effortful thought on a subject that's demanding to be rigorously examined and laid out through the keyboard.   An audience can tell if you're throwing something out there for volume or shock value vs. an attempt to intelligently offer up some prose for their consumption and, who knows, giving them the opportunity to possibly learn something new or interesting in the process, even if they're only "learning" another perspective that's either opposed to, or simply different than, their own.
What do I hope to gain?  At first, ad dollars from my (future) HUGE readership.  Then?  Having exposure for my great ideas to some member of my (future) HUGE readership that would recognize my ingenious product/idea, or simply my genius.  Now?  The gift of well-examined thoughts and ideas and stances, some of which have actually seen my position switch from one point of view to another after thoroughly examining different sides and underlying evidence, and all of which serve to help me do that which I have always striven to do in some form or another to do:  to know myself.  It's the greatest gift you can receive, and it's one that only you can give.
That's why I blog, and that's why you should, too.  Thanks for making me think, Michael!