Chapter 4: Why I Write

As I was reading chapter 4 this week I found it very inspiring! On page 40 of the book Why We Write: the politics and practice of writing for social change, when Jim Downs is talking about the reason why he chooses to write it really caught my attention. He mentions that the writing he does is intimately tied up in his desire to teach and in his conviction that through teaching and writing he is actively engaged in the transformative process. He feel that he writes because he cannot imagine and other tool through which he might address the reverberant violence of the past on his life and on the lives of those he cares about. This to me was something that was truly and deeply coming from the heart. Although I am not one that likes to write for pleasure, stress relief or even to just jot thoughts down I still find it easier to express my thoughts on paper where I have time to actually get my point across and make an impact. I like the idea of having our blogs because it has allowed me to get used to using personal and professional reflection as a too for my life in all different aspects! I have noticed that I can use it as a place to put my thoughts out there for myself and others. And maybe, just maybe others may be able to use what I have said to their advantage in their lives and learn from it. I know I have certainly learned from reading our colleagues posts and blogs each week.