I periodically go back and re-read things that I have posted. I do this for a couple of reasons. One, I want to see if my writing is actually improving over time. Two, I want to see if my ideas about things I previously wrote about have changed.
I have to believe that most writers go back and re-read some of their own work, if for no other reason than to see if their skills as a writer are getting better. Re-reading older material makes sense to me. How will I know if I am getting better if I don’t periodically check whether I’m improving? I mean, I am my own worst critic.
The other reason to re-read is more about self-reflection. I can re-read a piece from a week, month, or year ago and reflect on how I feel about it now. Maybe my ideas have not changed at all. However, maybe my thoughts have changed completely? How would I ever know that if I didn’t re-evaluate my thinking?
Case in point: I know I have written several pieces lately expressing my growing disdain for technology. After re-reading some of these articles and thinking about it, it is not technology that I have disdain for. It is the ever-increasing presence of it in my life.
Being tied to technology all the time, as a career and a hobby, is honestly what started to make it all feel so wrong. There was just too much tech. If being unemployed and not being tied to a computer 10-12 hours a day has taught me anything, it’s that working in tech that much doesn’t make me happy.
But working with technology is still fun. I enjoy learning Python. I like setting up personal websites and tinkering with different software. My fascination with open source projects is still there; however, mountains of corporate tech have buried it.
I enjoy talking about technology and how people can use it to improve their lives without going overboard. I also like learning about and discussing ways to make technology safer for people, especially given the privacy issues we face in today’s world.
Finally, I like using technology to make my life more efficient. Just today, I came up with the idea of writing a Python program to track some aspects of my finances. While I’m sure some apps can do that, building my own would be more fun!
So, if I was coming down hard on technology lately, it’s only because I was still detoxing from a corporate life that had burnt me out. Now that I have had time to reflect, express my feelings, and re-evaluate myself, tech is not the problem. It’s too much tech used in the wrong context.
So, I embark on solo technology stuff. Python apps, website tinkering, and whatever whets my whistle. If you enjoy tech, you have something to look forward to, because I will be posting what I do. Or, you can ignore it and just read the other stuff I post. I appreciate you either way.
—Daniel