Writing—in a society whose
dominant means of discourse is the spoken word—is an art that is especially accessible
and well-suited to this endeavour. So, I wanted to share some ideas about how
to use writing as a tool for getting to know yourself better, and why this
might be a good idea.
Part of the peace and
happiness project depends on coming to terms with our very human nature—our
frailties, our foibles. We all have feet of clay. Getting some of the chaos
down on paper can help shed light and be liberating. Let’s start with journal
writing.
Journal writing can be used
to log daily activities, ideas, notes to self, rants, or even drawings. It can
also be used as a place to safely and honestly convey our feelings about
ourselves, others or life generally. The point in journaling is to make a
record of whatever is going on inside us so that we can peruse it later.
With the passage of time journal
writing becomes particularly powerful and effective, because it then allows us
to look at our psychological insides from a distance, in a more objective
fashion. This is where enlightenment happens, when the proverbial light bulb
goes on. Journaling empowers us to be our own guru.
Essay writing is another
form of writing that is good for getting in touch with ourselves because it is
neither a factual article nor a story, yet it is something of both. I like
essay writing for the creative latitude it provides when focusing on a specific
theme. Almost anything is good as subject matter here, but it might be helpful,
in terms of self-discovery, to explore themes relating to what we are, or are
not, passionate about, what matters to us.
Essay writing has a wide
scope, is versatile and it is this versatility that enables the essay to yield
such a wide variety of information both about us, and our topic.
Lastly, I would like to
encourage you to try your hand at poetry. Poetry is a wonderful medium for
conveying thoughts and feelings. In my experience writing even bad poetry has a
very cathartic, soothing effect on mind, spirit and soul!
Journaling, essay writing
and poetry all are great tools to employ in the quest for greater understanding.
One caveat though: suspend
judgment when reading (don’t make it right, don’t make it wrong, don’t make it
good or bad). Just let it sink in and do its work. Give yourself lots of time
to process. Breathe…
…be patient, for as the
Dalai Lama tweeted recently “…the source of happiness and warm-heartedness, lies
within us.”
There’s motivation for getting in touch with ourselves!
There’s motivation for getting in touch with ourselves!
