Everyone is the subject of a journal. Every word we say starts the air around us vibrating, making a mark on the physical world. Collectively, all those impacts are the journals of humanity.
The language we use in the journals we write in can be as varied as the languages of the world, and as unique as a tongue we devise just for ourselves. The advantage of a common language is that others will be able to read our journal, also. If we dress too outrageous, act too wild, think too strange, our journal will appear senseless to others. Yet if we end up in robotic, programmed lockstep with some imagined human norm, our journal can be valueless -- just one more echo of the careless herd's stampede.
How to find the median? How to avoid the extremes of numbing conformity and of totally confusing non-conformity? We have to invite the reader in, and ease them into the mansion of our mind. If you have a house like every other in the suburban sub-division, a local visitor will be immediately familiar with the layout, but unless the interior design is original (furniture, paint, books on the shelves), the visitor may become filled with ennui. If you designed your house to be singular, you may need to give your visitor a guided tour.
Somewhere along the line, in school or on our own, or both, we picked up how to read and write. Our reading and writing shaped how we think. Being forced to write what we were told to write ingrained habits of thinking. When we journal, we are free to break the rules. We can use the shop tools any way we want to build whatever we want. This is true power. Our thoughts can now shape the words others will read.
As Arthur says, "[our] stories are the scratches and stains of our lives....and sooooo much more." What is the "much more"? It can be the sanding away of the scratches, the removal of the stains. A good story tells us about, to quote Laurel and Hardy , the "nice mess" we've gotten into; the story should also include the way out.
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