Creating a website is a time consuming task, even for a basic domain like this. Why would I create a website? The answer is: so I have a place to write. But why would I want to write? Society hates writing. (Most) kids deliberately avoid writing outside of class. Text chats are increasingly filled with emojis and brb, atm, lol, and other simplifications that avoid writing. New content is increasingly created by artificial intelligence rather than human keyboard clacking.

And yet, I write. This is why:

Writing as a Manner of Reading

Before directing American Graffiti and Star Wars George Lucas got his start as a writer. When asked why he wrote his own screenplays, he responded by saying, “Writing was not my thing, but I went through it . . . and if you can do that, you are your own studio. Nobody can stop you.” Similar notions have been shared by other self-writing directors like Christopher Nolan and Quentin Tarantino. For them, writing became a method of embodying their lives in a display for others. American Graffiti found heavy inspiration from Lucas’ youth in Modesto, California. Nolan has come out saying that his job is to take the concepts that interest him and make them interesting to other people.

It isn’t a stretch to say that these directors make movies as a manner of reflection. I intend to do the same: writing so that I have something of my own to read. In documenting my thoughts and actions on a page, I solidify a record of who I was at any given time, with my reactions and feelings splattered across a digital canvas. As I change over time, my writings will grow but will never quite leave their beginnings, as they will all remain on display. And in reading back I am given the opportunity to reflect.

So, as my first entry I’d like to describe my own current reality. As I write, it is 10:00 PM on December 1, 2024. My screen lights up a dim living room as AJR tunes play through a background vinyl. I am currently 19 years old and lay in a nebulous state of academic dissociation; I’m on a gap year. I previously attended Duke Kunshan University, a school hubbed in China. Now, I’m back in the United States for a year of exploration with no awareness as to where I may be a mere 8 months from now. Still, I have had dozens of bewildering experiences so far, and I intend to share them over the coming weeks, hence the website.

Writing as a Civic Duty

In writing, I also build a contributive domain that encourages comparison of ideas, something that is sorely lacking in modern society. As a part of my gap year, I began premature explorations into the political sphere, joining a national third-party and working on the independent Senate candidacy of Dan Osborn (NE). Independent politics had a unique allure to me. It just made sense; most individuals don’t fully agree with the stances of either dominant party and the Independent coalition constitutes one-third of the country. As such, I thought it could be the perfect breeding ground for innovative ideas and respectful discussions. Turns out, it’s not that simple.

I quickly realized that while ideas may be freely expressed by everyone, the acceptance of ideas is still a rather sore subject. It’s no wonder that the Democratic Party attacks the Republicans for book bannings while the Republican Party attacks the Democrats for social media censoring; everyone across the political aisle understands the importance of the communication of ideas (and the subsequent limiting in communications of ideas you disagree with). This remains true within the Independent political space, as multiple start-up factions can’t yet seem to agree on a unified message (everyone wants a slice of the pie; more on this in another future article).

It’s important to ensure that all ideas are accessible, and for that reason I do believe that I am fulfilling a certain level of civic duty in making this website. I write to share my thoughts. As of this moment, I have not yet made an option to subscribe to my writings but I have specifically added an option to leave comments. Ideas should be compared, including the ones I intend to record.

Writing to Explore

Above all else, I’ve made this website conscious that I am still on an explorative gap year. My phone is currently powered off (a trick I also picked up from Christopher Nolan, who unplugs when writing) but it still lays beside me. As I stare at the blank screen I’m reminded of those Instagram Reels speedrunning from link to link on Wikipedia. It’s amusing watching them connect the American Revolution to the avocado in four clicks. In writing articles, I too hope to do my own Wikipedia “surfing”, exploring across an extremely diverse set of topics in a quick span of time. Even better, the drive to write may actually encourage me to engage with concepts that I otherwise never would have. Maybe I’ll write an article on Uber driver experiences, or maybe I’ll document a month’s worth of experience as a vegan. 

I write to explore. Throughout the coming weeks I’ll be publishing my interpretations, explanations, and explorations. I hope you join in.