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December 11, 1999 Eye of the Beholder The Internet is a big place; it offers a diversity of perspectives. It also facilitates the construction of personas based on anything from honesty and integrity to carefully constructed lies. Sometimes it is hard to tell the difference sometimes it is not. I appreciate and respect the genuine. The written word is sometimes used on the Internet to convey meaning. Written material that will be viewed on the Internet requires a somewhat different focus than that written for hard copy presentation. The characteristics of what I personally appreciate as good writing are the same for either media. When I read, if I am aware of the language I don't consider the writing good. It does not matter if the style is terribly clever or terribly awkward, if I notice the words rather than the story then to me the writing is not good. The other characteristic necessary to denote good writing is the story itself. I require a story to be written with tolerance and humility. If either of these elements is absent from the authors underlying assumptions about life the story suffers; the writing is not good. Unlike skill with words, wisdom is difficult to develop. My perspective eliminates a lot of literature as good writing. Journals, published on the Internet, are a form of writing that offer great potential for good writing. It is in the living of life that wisdom is found. The journal is a description of life as it is lived daily. What better place to visit the soul of another, to follow the story of their journey towards wisdom? The first journal I discovered and return to daily is the journal of John Bailey, The Journal of a Writing Man. I feel at home visiting the Old Grey Poet. This is good writing.
Tonight Attila and I are off to attend the annual "Dickens' Christmas Party'. Of course Mr. Fezziwig's Christmas party described in "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens is fictional and occurred in another time and place. The Christmas party that we will attend tonight is very close to the spirit of that party popularized in Dickens' classic tale. The employees do not make large salaries; there is very little opportunity for "advancement" or "getting ahead" within this small family owned company. Yet most of the employees have worked for this company for many years. All the employees and their guests gather at a local restaurant that serves a buffet meal. There is a dazzling display of foodstuffs, sweet and savory. The bar is open and flows freely. The highlight of the evening comes after the meal when smiling merrymakers present carefully chosen gifts from the employees to the couple who own the company, the employers. The company owners will pick up the bill at the end of the evening after they have seen every last soul safely off home. All those who have made rather too merry will be bundled either into cars with designated drivers or into taxis. Attila is struggling to make time today for baking. Every Christmas he makes his renowned Chocolate Chip Cookies to give as a gift to his mother. "The Teenager" and I appreciate his efforts in that the less-than-perfect cookies end up on our plates; we do everything in our power to help Attila make time for his baking. My fear today is that cookies may dull my appetite for the feast at the "Dickens' Christmas Party". I suffer from the stress of abundance.
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