From The Journal of Eugène Delacroix. Trans. Lucy Norton, (London: Phaidon Press, 1995), pp. 1
"I am beginning my journal; the journal I have so often planned to write. My keenest wish is to remember that I am writing only for myself; this will keep me truthful, I hope, and it will do me good. These pages will reproach me for my instability. I am beginning in good spirits."
⏰ PROCRASTINATION:
“the journal I have so often planned to write” This prompts the question: Why do we procrastinate?
Procrastination can be task-oriented (putting off doing a specific task), activity-oriented (avoiding certain activities altogether), or decisional (delaying making decisions).
It's no secret that we often procrastinate on things that we don't want to do. Part of the reason we do this is because we know that the task is likely to induce negative emotions.
We don't want to deal with those emotions right now, so we hope that we'll have the mental bandwidth to deal with it later.
Journaling can be a tough activity because it requires us to be introspective and look at ourselves honestly.
Oftentimes, we don't like what we find when we do this. We may see things about ourselves that we don't like or that we have to change.
It can often feel like you're shining a light into the depths of your soul. Just like in Genesis, once the lights come on, you will have to begin the laborious task of creating & redesigning.
I sense that Delacroix was taking the time to consider his intentions and the consequences of journaling.
🙊 SELF-CENSORSHIP:
“My keenest wish is to remember that I am writing only for myself”
Delacroix was aware of the potential consequences of writing in a journal - namely, that someone else might find it and judge him harshly for his thoughts.
He knew that it was important to be honest in his journal, but also to be aware of how his words might be interpreted.
Are you writing things that will be looked upon favourably by future generations, or are you writing things that could potentially damage your reputation in the present and future?
How much of your inner thoughts and feelings are you willing to put down in your journal, knowing that there is a possibility that someone else might read it?
Or do you bin this consideration and just write for yourself regardless of what present or future generations think?
There are no one definitive answer to these questions — journaling can be helpful for anyone with different goals in mind. Whether you are looking to boost creativity, work through tough emotions, or just get to know yourself better.
The key is to be clear about your intention for journaling in the first place. Why do you want to start writing in a journal? What do you hope to get out of it? Once you have a good understanding of your motivations, you can start to figure out which journaling approach will work best for you.
I keep a journal to track how my thinking and preferences have change over time. But I'm still not sure how much detail I should go into, or how much I should reveal. Can we ever be truly transparent to ourselves?
🗞 JOURNALISM:
“this will keep me truthful, I hope, and it will do me good.”
Journal comes from an Old French word which meant daily. It originally meant a daily book of accounts. It is also a daily record of events, experiences, or observations.
We can either be honest accountants or we can be creative accountants who misrepresent and obfuscate things.
It makes sense that journaling is like self-auditing. You give account to yourself on how you've lived, what you've experienced, and what you think about those experiences. Ten people might experience the same event and come away with different conclusions.
Journalists may not be able to provide an entirely objective account of events due to the choices they make in what to report and how to present information. In short, they can give false accounts if they want to.
The media exaggerate news reports for dramatic effect They contribute to an atmosphere of pessimism and gloom. They've figured out that shocking stories get more views. And as more people watch or read, advertisers will pay more for placement. One has to also take this into account when consuming the news.
Some argue that media organisations should always be impartial, but in an era where media outlets are accused of fake news and biased reporting, it might be time for them to embrace their biases. I think that some degree of bias or subjectivity is inevitable in any piece of writing.
Readers, viewers, and listeners are already suspicious of the media, and are often quick to point out instances of bias. By being upfront about their biases, media organisations can earn some trust from their audiences. There is no doubt that the proliferation of news media outlets has led to a situation where there are more silos than ever before.
Each outlet has its own perspective and its own way of looking at the world. This can be seen as a positive or a negative development, depending on your point of view.
On the one hand, it is good that there are multiple perspectives out there for people to consume. This can lead to a more well-rounded view of the world, and it can help people to better understand the issues that they are faced with.
On the other hand, it can also lead to a situation where people are only exposed to one side of an issue, and this can lead to a lack of understanding.
It is important to remember that no one media outlet is completely objective. They all have their own biases and their own ways of looking at the world. However, if you are able to consume multiple perspectives, then you will be better able to understand the world around you. You may not agree with everything that you see, but at least you will be able to see many sides of the issue.
Thanks for reading. If there's anything you'd like to chat about further, or if you have any questions, feel free to shoot me an email. I'd love to hear from you. :)