direction of this blog

First, what was I trying to control in the decision to have a website? As stated in About, one part was to have a way of sharing the ideas in my book. Of course, for a fuller understanding of what I mean by control requires a reading of the book, but at least having this website will give someone an initial idea of what the book is about and they can then go on to read the book if they wish.

From a control standpoint, that fulfills a goal of my getting the book sold. And why would I want it sold, since it is not offered primarily as a money-making effort other than to pay for this website? Because people buying it is a measure of interest, and I’m curious if people have an interest in my ideas. And why am I curious about the interest of others?

Well, the idea as presented in the book helped me give organization to what I observe about the world—and I like that for myself, and maybe others would too. Which is all tied up with being a teacher etc., which is another whole element of my sense of control of my interaction with other people. Let’s just say I feel good about sharing ideas and leave it at that for now.

And that goes to the second idea I put in the About section, which is to have a place where reactions to what is in the book and new ideas from the readers and myself can be shared and discussed, and that’s what this blog is for. So, using the format of the control paradigm, my book and this website and blog are the “what” part of control, you readers and myself

are the "who” part, and the idea of sharing (as a personal motivating factor for myself) is the “why” part. That’s a very simple outline of “What am I doing here?” but as indicated especially when I touched on the “why” part briefly a moment ago, it can get more complicated as related tentacles of inquiry reach out for clarification.

Yet, I think it’s useful to do, to get into the weeds, so to speak, in order to clarify one’s understanding (at least a little bit) of why a person does something—yourself or anyone else, friend, family member, or even a politician. Of course, that’s what the book discusses in more detail, and what we can do here too.

So, the direction of the blog is to discuss life in terms of control—who is trying to control what and why—and not serve as a place to make a statement without trying to understand the issue (no rants). Control gives a guide for discussion. And, that’s the answer to “What am I doing here?” . . . for now.