When a superior man hears of the Tao,
He immediately begins to embody it.
When an average man hears of the Tao,
He half believes it, half doubts it.
When a foolish man hears of the Tao,
He laughs out loud.
If he didn’t laugh,
It wouldn’t be the Tao.
Tao te Ching
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Recent statistics indicate that the fastest growing demographic at facebook is us older wimmin-types.
We blog, twitter, facebook away our lives, broadcasting stuff and nonsense to a world that is too busy broadcasting itself back to even take notice.
Is it self-indulgence? Fragile ego? Do we feel somehow unheard and unnoticed as we collect our paychecks, feed our families, and catch the latest Housewives on Bravo?
Who do we imagine our audience to be? Do we fantasize that book publishers are scanning wordpress for a sign of the next Donna Tartt? Do we envision miles of lonely people, desperate for connection, hanging on to our every word? Or perhaps it is the misty visage of a future alien race, feverishly trying to piece together the fragments of a lost civilization in 140 words or less. Imagine the totality of humanity summed up by 9/11 conspiracy theories, acai diet miracles, and brangelina’s latest orphan acquisition. Funny, depressing, and utterly true.
So now we live in a world comprised only of strutting and fretting players with an audience of none. A cacophony of tweets and blogs and nary an eye to catch them. Why?
It has been said, by those who encourage authors, that in the end we will not be judged by what we have published but by what we have written. I’m guessing that there might be some room in there for what we have read, as well. As my third grade teacher Miss Millanessio said, we learn better with our eyes open and our mouths shut.
And so with my best intention of becoming a better listener to fill the aching void of humanity, I ironically close my daily narcissism and hit “publish.”
Up the Tao Staircase 
While it may seem at times that there is an audience of none, you’ll come to discover that there is one; and eventually two; and tomorrow? The world.
Blogs and tweets are the hidden notebooks and journals of our youth.
Your blog shines like a beacon in a cloudy sea of bottom feeding twitterers
Imagine the totality of humanity summed up by 9/11 conspiracy theories, acai diet miracles, and brangelina’s latest orphan acquisition. Funny, depressing, and utterly true.
I’m not depressed by the seeming shallowness of the Internet. Every shallow preoccupation is inspired by an ageless human concern. 9/11 conspiracy theories are about the fear of being attacked. Diet fads are about the wish to be attractive. Celebrity gossip will naturally arise from the complex language and social organization of Homo sapiens. Some scholars have pointed out the structural similarities between supermarket tabloids and Greek tragedy (which was not universally regarded as great art in its own day). Where can we draw the line between the sublime and the trivial?
Excellent point. The most trivial things in life are often also the most sublime, and the story arc of humanity hasn’t shifted all that far throughout history. Only the names change. Thanks for the feedback!