Editorial Newsletter | Better Writing and Thinking
Illuminating the Journey Towards Better Writing Through Critical Thinking
Brilliant writing spurs critical thinking, critical thinking spurs brilliant thinking
Dear Writers,
Many of you would have gotten your bonus. Congratulations! And for those who have not, fret not. The month has just started. We can build the momentum for this month and finish off strong.
There have been multiple requests to share what it means to write better. Pretty honestly, that is a difficult question to answer. You and I have very different ideas about what brilliant writing is. Take, for instance, the following: -
- Securing the monthly bonus.
- High viewership.
- Getting selected for further distribution.
- Getting featured.
- Have stories going crazy viral.
- Making 4 figures in a month
The list goes on.
For me, brilliant writing provokes thinking. I enjoy reading stories that challenge my assumptions about life. Without writers poking our mental box, we will continue to cruise through life without flirting with a string of what-ifs.
For this ILLUMINATION editorial, I would like to showcase stories that made me think.
A Story of Travel: Yesterday and Today.
Many of us travel and love to do so.
We remember what traveling was like before the start of this decade and how things have changed 180 degrees. Compare the 2 vastly different experiences by these 2 brilliant writers.
I appreciate my past traveling experiences a lot more.
Not this time. This time I felt more protective, wary, and alert… Picking up on all of this, I felt an uncomfortable mistrust toward everyone I would normally trust with ease — my fellow passengers, the pilot, the taxi drivers, other tourists. I was on high alert much of the time — watching the time, studying others, following roads signs.
Contrast the above traveling experience in 2021 versus travel in 2017 below.
The air hostess smiled and told me that it was complimentary and to enjoy my journey sitting there. They were grateful as my son traveled with them a lot and that goodwill was being shared with me. That was a nice surprise and I began to feel relaxed and enjoy the beginning of my journey (in 2017).
Dr. Preeti Singh| My Fantastic Journey From India And Welcome At San Fransisco
Travelling will no longer be the way it used to be.
A Battle of Justice and Defining the Right and Wrong.
Discrimination is a topic that will never disappear from the face of the earth.
That said, we have to learn to read the environment around us. Becoming more tactful, considerate, commonsensical helps us become better humans.
He was neither deterred nor did he seem affected by his megaphone approach. He clearly had no issue with offering his racist opinions regardless of the racial makeup of his audience. This I found to be most vexing since even if you are not the target of someone’s hate, how easily they will share their toxic mindset with anyone in the vicinity. No filter, no concern — just letting the hate fly untethered.
G Correia | I Don’t Want to Hear Your Racist Views of Others
The human race is attracted to the notion of right and wrong. It makes us righteous and critical of others.
The tricky part comes when there are dire consequences attached.
I believe the Retribution theory is right and the Moral Education theory is wrong because the latter fails to recognize people as morally autonomous beings… Morally autonomous beings have the freedom to act as they will, but also the responsibility to not do wrong… Should a free being choosing to act immorally/criminally, they have abandoned their responsibilities, and therefore give up their freedom.
The Prospect of Being Alive And Fear of Death.
These 2 writers made me think hard about living and dying. Philosophically, it could be the same thing.
While we fear the prospect of death knocking at our doors, we must also continue to live the life we deserve.
We cannot be spending our entire living moments worrying about the end of life.
Even as a Christian who believes there is more after death, I still fear it a little. After much thought, I only see three ways we can escape this fear of death… The first is being satisfied enough with the life we have lived. Secondly, to believe that to die is a benefit to us. And thirdly, a combination of both.
Between death and life is our accumulation of experiences.
It was terrifying, but we did it. And as we reached the summit we spoke to many people, young and old, but mostly young, intent on descending to the waterfall. Not ONE of them continued. They all turned back! And so, we walked off feeling a little smug, as you do, to find our car several kilometers away, and thereafter to check into our cabin.
One beer later we were certain we’d do it again.
Get a beer, people. Celebrate when the celebration is due.
Summary
I hope you enjoyed this editorial op-ed.
If we believe that writing is part of our future, we can become great writers when we get our readers to think critically.
They will keep coming back for more because we help them think.
Happy Writing, People.
Aldric
Dr Mehmet Yildiz Liam Ireland Terry L. Cooper Maria Rattray Karen Madej Carol Price Tree Langdon Agnes Laurens Dr Preeti Singh Josh Balerite Acol Noorain Hassan, BMS The Maverick Files Esther George Claire Kelly Britni Pepper Dew Langrial
As a content contributor, I write my observations from daily life and my business exposure. Because our life experience is the bedrock of our unique perspectives.