I have been thinking about this concept all day and thought it best to share my thoughts. God told the prophet Habakkuk to 'write down his revelation and make it plain on tablets (which nowadays can be referred to as blogs), so that a herald may run with it.'(Hab 2:2)
Just imagine if David never wrote down all his songs and poems, King Solomon never wrote down his laments and proverbs and Paul never recorded his letters, the Bible would not have been what it is today. There might have still be a Bible, but excluding the books of Psalms, Lamentations, Proverbs and basically the whole New Testament.
I have had the privilege to work with hundreds of learners from Primary schools and High schools in South Africa. Most of the schools I have visited, Aloe High, Hillcrest Primary, Mountview Secondary,etc.I have seen the same thing, students writing or carving words and art on their school desks, walls or anywhere where it can be viewed or read by others. I am sure that I did the same when I was on High school, making sure that my name or thoughts are left behind after I've finished Year 12.
What makes people want to write down what is on their minds? What makes people not write down what is on their minds?
I think writing down your thoughts is an excellent way of preserving what is yours. Uniquely yours. Your life, your attitude towards it, your experiences, your heartbeat can be revealed in writing. Most of the time (if not all of the time) students carve out their thoughts on desks because deep inside them there is a longing to express it. They seek to make others know that they have a significance in space. They exist. Their thoughts exist. They want others to know. I am definately not encouraging vandalism, I'm simply saying that people has a longing to express.
I grew up in a culture where reading and writing has been taken for granted. It surprises me though, because in the same breath I can say that I grew up in a culture where the most interesting happenings and stories took place. Stories and events worth recording. Maybe if that neighbour's son that ended up in jail would have the skill to write down his thoughts, or maybe if the bitter old man down the road where I lived for 16 years had recorded all his beautiful memories, things would have been different.
We know about most of the scientific, geological or religious history because people recorded it. There was someone who wrote it down. Maybe if we start keeping journals or writing down our experiences and share our stories, someone else down the history line will also benefit from it. I am definately encouraged to pick up my pen (or keyboard) more often and make sure that I not only Think It, but Ink it from now on.
And in the words of American Novelist Don Delillo (1926),'Writing is a form of personal freedom. It frees us from the mass identity we see in the making all around us. In the end, writers will write not to be outlaw heroes of some underculture but mainly to save themselves, to survive as individuals.'
In closing, 'Be yourself. Above all, let who you are, what you are, what you believe, shine through every sentence you write, every piece you finish.'(John Jakes, American History Author)
