Abraham Lincoln and Blogging

Words are the prime currency of online communities. We shape these communities largely through postings and comments and more comments.  Here, adventurous adherents of faith communities sometimes wander far from home and often find themselves in unknown territories, confronted with different viewpoints-at times intriguing and at other times hostile. Sometimes this friction is educational and it’s good to be confronted with new ideas. Yet many times it is easy to let our emotions get the best of us when we perceive that our very existence, identity, and way of life is being unfairly attacked and caricatured by anonymous individuals who show no interest in “getting the facts straight.” It’s at these times that blank comment box becomes quite tempting. We envision filling it up with zingers and great one-liners. “Submit Comment” is just one click away.

I think most people have heard of Abraham Lincoln’s method of dealing with frustration. James M. McPherson, Princeton professor and winner of a Pulitzer Prize for “Battle Cry of Freedom,” a one volume history of the Civil War, has studied Lincoln and the Civil War for a large part of his professional life. Writing on McPherson’s new book for the New York times, Charles McGrath reports:

The Lincoln presidency has been so well documented and well studied that there are very few scoops anymore. To write “Tried by War,” Mr. McPherson relied on the usual sources and archives, but he said he was surprised at how often Lincoln seemed frustrated or on the brink of losing his temper.

“He would write letters but not send them,” he explained. “Or he would unburden himself to his private secretary, John Hay, or to Orville Browning, a senator from Illinois who was one of his confidants.” He added: “One’s image of Lincoln doesn’t usually include expressions of frustration and temper, but they make him seem more human.”

Before hitting submit on your latest comment written perhaps partly out of frustration, try this for a change. Save your magnum opus in a Word document and then put it aside. Sleep on it. The next day open the file and read it again.  If you feel it really would add something to the conversation or that it really does need to be said, then submit. Try this out for a couple of weeks and see what happens.

I admit to having quite a bit of Word documents full of comments that I’ve never sent.  Probably enough material for several posts or maybe even a small book.   Much of the time its not out of frustration, but simply out of a desire to gain more objectivity in my writing.  After all, who knows how long these comments are going to sit there on the Internet?  Is it really necessary? Does it really add something to the conversation? Does it matter? If I submitted this, would it advance my goals?  Am I writing this for the right reasons?  Am I exaggerating?

I also admit that I’ve had comments peer reviewed.  When I feel the occasion calls for it, I’ve sent comments to close friends, both those of my own faith community as well as those who come from different faith tradition whether they be Latter-day Saint, Evangelical or Catholic, and have asked them for feedback.   Sometimes I’ve gotten responses like, “Well, I think you’re on the right track, but here is how I would put it.” Or, “Basically I think that’s right but you want to avoid the following.” Clearly, this doesn’t need to be done all the time and obviously not for every comment or post. Yet, I’ve greatly benefited from this practice. Sometimes I’ve been encouraged to keep things I considered discarding. Other times I’ve been saved from writing something perhaps a little too inflammatory, or at least from including something that would have distracted readers from main point of my article.

Now, I know what some might be thinking.  Blogging is very time sensitive.  Who wants to be comment number 20 or 50 when you can be comment number 1?  Waiting a day?  In the blogging world, things happen quickly, will anyone really remember comment 128?  Will people really read my post when everyone else has already reported on the event?  Of course, this is all a judgment call.  However, as a general rule, I  believe that well-written pieces speak for themselves.  Timing is important, but so is clarity, distilled reasoning and thoughtful reflection.