I’ll be the first one to admit that my posts / writings are banal, sliding into drivel on occasion. I’ve had this blog for over ten years (!), and if I’m generous to myself, two posts may have made it into the fresh column.
But first, the definitions. Drivel = nonsense, very straight forward (ex. a politician’s speech). Banal = trite, or obvious and boring (ex. this blog post). Now the next word in the title was a lot more difficult to choose. I searched for antonyms of the first two. Know what I found? Not a lot.
There were a few choices, eight to ten, that – while correct – didn’t capture what I was looking for; original writing. Whether fiction or non-fiction, much that people consume fall under the first two categories. Why? Is it because “that’s what sells”? Or, “those are the only choices available”.
Remember the saying, “an infinite number of monkeys with an infinite number of typewriters will write the world’s greatest novels”? Who determines that list of novels? An infinite number of editors? Book reviewers? Sales figures? I tend to read a lot. Mostly fiction, entertainment value only (and stays with you longer than a TV movie). My eldest daughter reads more than me. 😊 I like to think that I had some influence with that, when she was younger.
So, what’s my point? There’s a not-infinite number of bodies with access to a not-infinite number of written materials with a not-infinite amount of time to consume the knowledge or entertainment value of those materials. The majority of people are happy consuming drivel (TV, celebrity mags, trashy novels); a smaller number aim for the banal (Sunday talking head shows, op-ed pages, NPR), and very few seeking – no, acquiring – fresh, unique ideas and information.
Why waste time on my blog. Go out and get something fresh!
(until next post 😄)
Rants Unto the Ether 