Writing alone is like alcoholism

[compilerbitch]

It just occurred to me that writing is an essentially solitary act. Enjoyable, a kick in and of itself. Medium as opiate of the individual. But, there is guilt associated with this. Should I be doing something more useful? Does anyone really care about what other people write, still less me?

The analogy with drinking is clear. Enjoyable in and of itself. Damaging in excess. Guilt.

Somehow, people don't seem to mind about drinking as a group activity. It legitimises the act -- the social interaction involved offsets worries about its self-destructive nature. Likewise, LJ allows the process of writing to become shared. It's not email. It's not a BBS, or anything resembling IRC. It's not communication in the strictest sense -- it's instant gratification, click-here vanity publishing. No guilt required.

I love it.

Comments

[aiwendel.livejournal.com]

writing here is good :)
but i agree, it can be addictive, can swallow time, where perhaps more useful things could be achieved - but, strangely, i don't feel much guilt for it too often.

and given i can feel guilty about reading anything for fun, be it terry pratchett or any of the classics, or anything however factual not currently related to my course of study... its not surprising the odd twang of guilt at "time wasted" comes up... but then its my history. My life. There is something to show for the time, even if it is meaningless drivel. Besides i'm training myself out of feeling guilt for reading - given it stopped me being a book worm, and practically stopped me reading anything at all.

ho hum, that didn't make much sense... i should go get dressed and start being useful for the day!
*grin*
:)
xxxxxxxxxxxxx

[compilerbitch.livejournal.com]

I have similar guilt, associated with almost anything other than the task in hand. It affects most things for me -- socialising, doing art, writing music, watching movies, reading, you name it really.

I don't feel like a workaholic -- I think its more an avoidance of non-work that is at the root of the problem.

[doseybat.livejournal.com]

i file actvities as "profitable for work acheivement", "profitable for hobby ahceivement", "profitable for social acheivement" or "not profitable". if i manage to file a given activity under one of the first three then it counts as a Life Improvement Activity and hence no guilt.

you can easily guess which one LJ is currently filed under.

i firmly believe that my third (social) type of acheivement is in some ways more important then the first two, having spent some time not doing any of it, and then watching the results *shudders*

[compilerbitch.livejournal.com]

I know what you mean. I'm currently avoiding happy hour at the CL because the room is packed with people, there's nowhere I can sit down other than the floor, and I don't know anyone. My arthritis isn't that bad today, but my hips & ankles are starting to complain a bit so a lot of standing around isn't really on. I've already done quite a lot today, (e.g. lots of clothes washing, wandering around college, going to various bits of the lab, etc.) so I'm getting towards my limit I think.

I just don't have the guts to ask for a seat in the coffee room, even though I'm sure someone would be happy to relinquish theirs if they knew what my problem was. I don't want to ask, because I don't really want to admit to anyone (including myself) that I can't do normal amounts of physically demanding actions that most people would take for granted.

I'm annoyed at myself for being so cowardly.

[doseybat.livejournal.com]

how about just quietly dragging in a chair from next door?