Recently I shared some of my writings with a high school classmate from Tianjin. We first became classmates in 1970 and parted ways in 1973, over half a century ago. We have evolved into entirely different individuals.
Of course, she wants to know why I write. Is it writing for the sake of writing? For what purpose? I think of Arthur Schopenhauer.
Schopenhauer said, "There are, first of all, two kinds of authors: those who write for the subject's sake, and those who write for writing's sake. ... The truth is that when an author begins to write for the sake of covering paper, he is cheating the reader; because he writes under the pretext that he has something to say."
For the sake of covering paper, and then cheating reader? Schopenhauer's words may seem a bit too harsh or too critical. On the other hand, these words can also serve as a reminder of the importance of writing with purpose, integrity and sincerity.
I truly believe that I'm writing for the subject's sake and my subjects include my past and current real life experiences, Chinese Culture and language, books that I read, and plenty of others. I think consistently writing tiny amounts each day can achieve better results than some long-winded tedious speeches.
Though I have great subjects to write about, I still need to remember to write with purpose and sincerity.