THE BEGINNING OF SOMETHING SPECIAL

Okay. After months and months of pressure from various people in different circles, I have started a blog. I like to think of this decision as more a result of me becoming more open to the changing culture around me, rather than simply succumbing to peer pressure. Blogs really are a good way to stay connected to people around the world and to be brought up-to-date with the happenings in one another's lives. My concern with the blogging culture, however, is the mentality that we get to know people better through their blogs. I think it is such a reflection of our times that places like myspace.com are among the most used websites in the world. People long for relationships and interaction with meaning, and often end up trying to convince themselves that they are getting to know a person, that they can empathize and relate, share emotions etc., through a simple webpage. There is also a danger in people using their blogs as a real outlet for venting and processing things that they are going through- if this becomes the primary source for this rather than actual human interaction (or even better, conversation with God), then there is a problem.

Having said all that, I really see my blog as a good way of staying in touch with people who are interested in my life! I really can't promise that I will provide regular updates with the things that are going on in my world, but I will make a genuine effort to share fun tidbits, adventures, thoughts, and yes, even emotions on my blog. I welcome you all (and for those of you who end up frequenting this page without ever identifying yourself, I think that's borderline creepy) to The Life and Times of Matt Rice.

Here we go!