Introduction

Welcome to Barefoot History or Writing Practice!

(I am not sure which name pops up for those of you who actually read these posts, but nonetheless, I will explain everything in this introduction).

Welcome all to this blog. For one, I must ask, how did you find this blog? Was it a freak accident that lead you to stumble across this or did you do a little internet search and found that the title caught your eye? Perhaps it was neither. Or maybe both! Anyways, you are here now reading this. So now the question is, what is the purpose of this blog?

I have created this blog for two reasons; to practice my writing and to talk about history. If I write about history, then I will be killing two birds with one stone. Sometimes I will just be writing about thoughts that I find important and meaningful. 

Recently, I watched a video on YouTube in which a professor/clinical psychologist by the name of Jordan Peterson discussed why writing is important. He explained that writing helps one become a better thinker. It makes one think more critically about situations. And the better you are as a thinker, the more dangerous you are as a person. Knowing how to use words and form intelligent and thoughtful arguments makes you a dangerous weapon. I feel like Jordan Peterson hit the nail on the head during this small section of his lecture that I watched.

He goes on to give examples of how important it is to know how to think. When applying for a job, the one who knows how to speak clearly and coherently during the interview will have a much higher chance of getting that job. The man or woman who goes in and does not necessarily have the right words to say may not fare so well. Interviews can be a very delicate process. One mistake, one wrong impression, one wrong word used and that could send you packing back into the unemployment chamber. You can also influence people if you know how to properly form thoughts and deliver them. Thinking critically is necessary.

I realize that I am not a great writer right now. My vocabulary is not where I would like it to be, I am not as quick-thinking as I would like to be, and the way I choose words and deliver them is not where I would like it to be. I am sure I could have made this post much better and I am also sure that this probably has some pretty obvious grammatical errors that I missed while revising it. However, that is the beauty of this journey. This is why I am doing this. I want to be better at all of those things. I can be better at all of those things. But like anything in life, it takes consistent practice. I made this blog to keep myself accountable and to make it easier to write and jot down my thoughts. I want to fail so that I can learn and then do better in the future. The goal is to ultimately be a better orator and thinker. However, thoughts are not my goal. Knowing how to formulate thoughts, is.

I do not know how often I will post. I would like to get on here and write for at least an hour, if not more, a day. I will also be reading as much as I can to further practice my literary skills. I am currently reading The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksander Solzhenitsyn. During my reading I am writing down words that I do not know the definition for in each chapter. I have created a document where I will be defining those words and using them in sentences. Then, once I feel like I truly understand the word and how to use it, practice it in public.

This blog is a literary journey. As an old track and field coach once told me, "the journey is the reward". This is where it starts...

Jordan Peterson Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfDOoADCfkg