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Articles that will inform, inspire, make you better at dinner parties, and ultimately transform you into a more interesting person (disclaimer: this site may not inform, inspire, improve your dinner party experience, or make you a more interesting person).

The book ‘Letters of note’ from the greater of the eponymous website was an inspiration. The contents of this wonderful book reveal the thoughts of famous personalities through beautiful prose in the form of letters. They help show another aspect of those that one might have pigeon-holed as being of a particular personality type. Richard Feynman’s letter to his dead wife is a case in point. The words used were more of a journal entry to Feynman himself, and show a warm, sentimental side that is almost absent from his books.

Putting one’s pondering down on paper or in this case, on the internet, is the modern equivalent of the stone tablet. The ancient Egyptians once banned writing as it was believed that committing words to non-oral forms would impose a powerful influence over people and verifying the origin of the thoughts was difficult. That the king of Egypt, with all the influence and power he wielded, was so worried by the threat of written language shows that this powerful man felt vulnerable to the potential of written language.

What I take from this is that words expressed in speech are like a knife that cuts sharply and be produced and retracted rapidly, but the written word truly is a sword. Slower to extract but devastating in its form.

The written word is what essentially helped man create culture, business, and in effect civilisation.

Anyone with an interest in diverse topics such as blogging, travel, health & fitness, tech, learning languages, meaningful work, and music can find topics of interest in this blog.

I try to write as honestly and sincerely as I can. If the words on these pages help you or make you stop and think, please comment or let me know. I love to start discussions about topics I'm passionate about.

I put my thoughts on the Internet it's as good as permanently ‘public'. Nothing on the Internet ever truly goes away so there’s a form of committal, forcing honesty with one’s thoughts.

I always wanted to be a private person. I didn’t want people knowing everything about me. I guess this is a form of snobbery and a very narrow view to take on the world. I don’t live in an isolated village in the Himalaya. I choose to live in cities surrounded by people and I thrive on the interaction with others.

Although the cult of celebrity is something which generates ire in me I think that to make an impact on other people’s lives they will need to know who you are. Being ‘famous’ can also be a good thing. Anyone can be famous for appearing at parties, buying expensive cars, and dating other celebrities, but being famous and using that power for good is a noble thing.

If one person connects with these words I think it’s worth the effort. In effect, two people will have derived some use from my thoughts. If the audience for my ramblings can’t be found among people close to me then maybe the internet is the best channel for

I am blogging to

1. Learn to write and become a better writer
2. Learn to put my thoughts down in a rational and well-constructed way
3. Get over my aversion to publicity and self-marketing
4. Help others
5. Make a difference, no matter how small

I hope you find something valuable in this blog. If not valuable, I hope it’s funny. If all else fails, I hope it kills time while you take breaks between watching cat videos.

Thanks for reading.

Keith J Lang

If you'd like to work with me, get in touch here.

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