Looking at the various things we say day in and day out — which include facts, opinions, anecdotes, humorous and/or satirical jokes, through the different and ever increasing media — is there a real reason why it makes sense to continue saying things to other people?

For every sentence spoken, there are people who agree or disagree. Yes, there are people who are agnostic, but these people don’t believe in taking sides anyway so let’s leave them out of the discussion for the time being. I want to look at the ones who actually have a mind of their own and can take a stand for or against things. There is a good chance they already have an opinion on whatever you’re saying before you’ve finished saying it. You cannot sway or persuade them. That would make them feel weak willed, and our mind is programmed to want to feel in control, so it will rebel against that feeling. If they agree with us, nothing has been added to the conversation, and if they disagree, nothing can be taken away from it. So why are we saying whatever we are, to whomever we are?

Is it a need to have our ideas and point of view validated? Is it to know that we aren’t alone in thinking those things? Or is it to have an effect and get a reaction out of people, regardless of the fact that we believe in what we’re saying or not, which ultimately boils down to “trolling” as the Internet so lovingly calls it.

A distinction needs to be made between informing and saying. Informing still has a reason: To add to someone’s knowledge that they may be lacking. But informing should lack personal bias, anecdotal evidence and commentary. Unfortunately it’s rather hard, if not impossible, for a person to leave those out and state things just for what they are. Hence, informing is not so much about adding to someone’s knowledge as it is about telling them about things the way you see them (unless it’s a universal truth, of course. There aren’t many different ways of understanding that the Earth revolves around the Sun).

Sometimes I look at this journal, my Twitter profile, the text messages on my phone, the e-mails sent and received over the years, and I wonder what the point of it all was. The world hasn’t changed because of them. The people I know haven’t changed because of them. I haven’t changed (much) because of them either. Out of all the inconsequential and useless things I have done in this life, I think “saying” anything is probably right at the top of the list.