Journal writing grammar

(written on 7/14/17)

I have been thinking about what personal pronouns I should use for journal writing. Should I use "I" or "you" when writing to myself?

You - (2nd. person personal pronoun)

vs.

I - (1st. Person singular nominative pronoun)

When I read it back to myself, “You” tries to seek confirmation, whereas “I”, is more internal and authoritative. I may start using "I" for a little while to see how it affects my writing.

Note: When I use “I”, the reader (me mostly) can also feel connected and personal with my words as they subvocalize the things I am saying, “You” just sounds like a lecture from someone else in the room.

Desert

What makes deserts so beautiful? The ideas of harshness and scarcity attached to these landscapes are unappealing to some. Paradoxically, these ideas could be the reasons why others are drawn to deserts. When you look at a desert, you notice that everything is stripped of unnecessary parts. Your eyes are left with patterns and designs sculpted by the wind. Or rock formations cracked by dry heat. So when you come across something ordinary, it becomes even more beautiful in contrast to harshness.

This phenomenon is a ubiquitous truth and is the reason turquoise and beige make beautiful combinations. Earthy tones allow highlights to emerge, and the results are magical. The moment I took this picture, I realized how much we see patterns of the desert in art, fashion, and everyday life.

-CSS

Photo: Painted desert overlook (Arizona)

Self

4/18/17

Sometimes I wonder about the self. By that, I mean the self as an abstraction. Not "a posteriori" as Kant would put it. Not based on analytic judgments. Not how you dress, or how you talk, instead it is a question of who, or what you are.

The other day I asked my friend how he thinks it’s possible to find your true self. I enjoyed his answer. He replied the self is like a trinity of components. The first is who you are in private. The second is what you want to be (your aspirations). The last one is how others think of you. According to my friend, these 3 parts define the self.

Although his explanation was very interesting, I was not completely satisfied. Mainly because this definition depends on too many externalities, which confuse the truth seeker.

I started reading the Bhagavad Gita. According to the interpreter of this ancient Indian text, the Gita explains that self-realization is the highest achievement in life. Finding the self should be everyone's top priority. Maybe I will find clues in those scriptures.

-CSS