Blog-eat-blog World

HappyKatie (local blog goddess, social media fly, and mom extraodinaire, among other things) posted a blog that caught my eye today:

http://www.happykatie.com/dailies/2008/05/freebirds-ash-1.html

I agree with the notion that blogs serve as a record of one's existence. It reminds me of a guilty pleasure of mine: the 'Shall We Dance' remake with J-Lo. (Yeah, so I know the original Japanese version is better- I don't care. A fake-tanned, wig-donning Stanley Tucci makes me a happy girl.) In the movie, Susan Sarandon says something that has always resonated with me:

"We need a witness to our lives. There's a billion people on the planet... I mean, what does any one life really mean? But in a marriage, you're promising to care about everything. The good things, the bad things, the terrible things, the mundane things... all of it, all of the time, every day. You're saying 'Your life will not go unnoticed because I will notice it. Your life will not go
un-witnessed because I will be your witness.'"

Isn't that true? To take it one step further, we are constantly grasping for significance in our multi-tasked, célèbre-obsessed, stimuli-overloaded lives. Why thumb through the recent issue of People in the grocery store line to read about the fairly predictable lives of Britney or Paris, when we know our own lives are just as, if not more fascinating? (...and our stories far more interesting.) A spouse is not necessarily enough for us- we want our COMMUNITY to witness our lives. We quietly and 'surreptitiously' seek electronic validation- but in plain view of the public. And every blog-reader does his or her part to acknowledge and validate our existence- the amusing, as well as the mundane. Thus, blogs are the great equalizer.

Besides, I'd rather read about a friend's insight on local happenings or thoughts on Lebanon because, with acquaintance, comes an appreciation for context. And with our increasingly pluralistic perspectives, everything is relative. So, whether it be a healthy catharsis or mere exhibitionism, I'm a convert.