Why Write?

It helps clarify a thought, forcing me to put it into words and examine it from multiple angles and perspectives instead of just accepting it at face value.

It allows me to expand on a thought, and seeing if it still holds true under various scenarios and given different variables, which helps me understand how broadly true it is and its limitations.

In hopes of hearing from others who enjoyed and understood what I wrote, and ideally through them having traveled or explored similar paths gain some new insight from their experience and thoughts.

It’s fun! The process of putting thoughts into words and sentences, choosing the right words or sequence of words to best capture that thought, organizing those sentences into somewhat organized paragraphs that carry the reader through some cohesive logical structure is a fun puzzle that is immensely rewarding to those who write.

Why Not Write?

As a means to an end.

I may feel forced to write, and end up writing things I don’t quite believe or that aren’t true because I haven’t thought them through. This is actually much worse that it initially seems, because it won’t allow me to stay true to who I am, and cognitive dissonance is a powerful force.

I may get caught up in numbers and data, and start caring about things like views, and likes, and shares, instead of just caring about the writing itself, and about expressing my thoughts and ideas as honestly and clearly as possible.

I may end up getting dejected by low numbers if no-one reads what I write.

If a lot of people do end up reading what I write, it may become difficult to maintain a truly objective, reasonable perspective, and avoiding writing about things I don’t really understand and haven’t really thought through.

Summary

Combining both lists, I should write so that I can get closer to the truth, so that I can share thoughts and ideas with like-minded people, and for fun. As long as I can always be as intellectually honest as possible in my writing, avoid focusing on the wrong things (views, likes, shares) and not care too much either way whether people like or dislike what I write, I should be able to minimize some of the pitfalls of writing while staying focused on what I enjoy about writing to begin with.