Melissa Eugene
Staff Writer
Before writing this article, I was thinking of topics for the past few days on what to write. Mostly I write about past events in my life that I’ve overcome, mainly because those events are interesting and afterwards when I’m done writing I feel as though there is a part of my brain that receives a satisfying sensation when I successfully complete an article of my over comings in life.
It’s my personal way to build motivation and inspiration towards others and even myself to know that no matter how bad life seems during a season or a time, it will never stay that way and sometimes you realize how grateful you are to have that life lesson.
But again, staring at my blank Office 365 document, nothing was coming to me; all that came was one word playing over and over again in my mind “write. “Something or anything, all I need to do is write.
Then I began to question: why write? Why do people write? Some people do it for memorization when it comes to studying or even our history books, this enduring need to remember where we came from, where our past originates from, and to top it off, the endless discussion to know our history, to know what others did before us, so we can be better than before and wiser for the future. All of which was knowledge dissected from written words.
Sure, everything is digital now like textbooks and articles, but before the basics was to write, with a pen, a typewriter, a keyboard, a pencil.
I was pleased to find out the first known writer was a woman; it also brings me more satisfaction that I’m writing this article in March, which is designated as Women’s History Month, so yes, girlfriends we have won yet again. Enheduanna was her name, and she is considered to be the first known poet. She is best known for her works Inninsagurra, Ninmesarra, and Inninmehusa, which translate as ‘The Great- Hearted Mistress,’ ‘The Exaltation of Inanna,’ and ‘Goddess of the Fearsome Powers’. Enheduanna is remembered for the 42 poems she wrote reflecting personal frustrations and hopes, religious devotion, her response to war, and feelings about the world she lived in. Her writing is personal and direct and, as the historian Stephen Bertman notes, according to worldhistory,org.
For me, writing has become an outlet and a documentation of life even when I’m not writing about my own life. I look back on my writing and see the growth. I see the transformations from now and then. For me, it’s a remembrance of where I started.
Once I start typing, that’s my dopamine release, that’s my idea of fun. Because even though I am typing and the world around me is moving, my mind is still, my body is still, and I feel at peace. I then got to the point of finally understanding why some actors don’t watch the movies or shows they star it, even if it performed well.
For example, Angelina Jolie stated that while she doesn’t love to watch her films herself, her kids have started seeing some of her older films, according to AOL.COM reports.
I had this same anomaly when my friend read one of my articles while I was in the same room. I then started to cringe at the fact that she might come across a sentence that does make sense or a misspelled word that I didn’t catch but instead I received praise for my work, and she even took a picture so she could read it again one day.
Overall, why write? We write to know, to express, to learn, to remember and to sometimes even forget.
So again, why write? Because what other form of action can we remember, learn, express and know without writing them out first.
cutline: Photo courtesy of unsplash.com
