Why do we blog?

I think I posed this question once or twice before, back in the very early days - but didn't come up with any answers that were entirely satisfactory. I rather fear boredom, procrastination, and narcissism are the three major motivators of blogging, which is why I am still somewhat sceptical of the whole phenomenon. I hope that's not what it is with me, but I do run a mental doublecheck every once in a while.

The inspiringly idealistic Moonrat has opened the year over on her blog with an impassioned call to her fellow writers to try to be more self-conscious about having an agenda in all their writing (even in the humble arena of a blog) - not in the narrowly political sense, but rather a more holistic sharing of values and beliefs.

Am I managing that here on my blogs?? Well, yes, I hope that I am - most of the time, anyway. While I will occasionally touch on overtly political issues (e.g., the conditions of menial workers, the degradation of the environment, and the woeful state of education here in China), most of the blogs' content is more personal, and yes, I suppose, more frivolous. But whatever the topic, I am at all times writing about things that seem important to me, and trying to write about them with insight, humour, self-awareness, and honesty. If I had to come up with a single, snappy 'mission statement' (the kind of thing I hate) for my blog-writing, I think it would be that I am seeking to celebrate all that is best in life - love, friendship, humanity, compassion, humour, creativity, joie de vivre....

Is that enough? Well, it's better than nothing, I think. It's a start.....