Why I Write – Part 1

I have an uncle named Justus. When I say that my Uncle Justus is one of the most brilliant men I have ever known, I mean exactly that – because he is.  I was in elementary school when he was an active executive in the Students Union of Nigeria’s premier and most storied university, which would also become my own alma mater decades later.  He first became famous because of his position as the spokesman of the students union and I recall taking newspapers clips of articles in which he appeared to my elementary school to show off my uncle to my peers and teachers.  He is in his mid-late seventies now and he continues to engage his mind and intellect very actively, years after retiring at the top of his career in the Nigerian Civil Service. He reads all my blog articles and listens to every podcast that I publish. Then he texts and sometimes calls me to discuss his commentary. Sometimes, he also writes his commentary on my blog site.  

My most recent Podcast was titled The Essential Journey of Self Discovery.  After listening to that Podcast multiple times, my uncle called and left me a long voice message that included the following: “I found it to be very interesting as usual”, which is a heart-warming endorsement from an uncle who speaks his thoughts about my work and ideas with impeccable honesty.  Then, he added, “Three things tended to have dominated what you shared with everybody – history, character and self-discovery.  I am not sure which of these you wanted as the pillar of the Podcast, but I think character is what one should emphasize. But how can one comment on the character of someone else without knowing the person?  Even then, character changes with time”. Then he concluded his comment with the following words: “I find everything you have said to be very interesting. Though controversial in some areas, I think it was a good Podcast.  At the end of the day, you write your own book better than what anyone can write about you. Good luck and good morning”.

This call and message reminded me of the last chapter of one of my published books, which I started with the words: “There is a story in each of us waiting to be told.  Whether we tell the story through our hands or through the hands of someone else is an option that is available to us”. In that book, I went on to suggest that, if one leaves his/her story to be written by someone else, it might not be written exactly as the story would have been if written by the person who lived the story.  This is why I write: to tell my story.

I write because I am a storyteller.  Storytellers always have plenty to say, even if not verbally.  Even when storytellers are not speaking, they have stories to tell at the demand of the occasion or the circumstances.  Being one who doesn’t generally verbalize as much as one would expect from a storyteller, however, writing is a most reliable outlet for me to tell the stories that my mouth will not tell.  Therefore, to know exactly what I am thinking at any specific time, the way to do it is to read my writings. Admittedly, my writing, even when it is nuanced, is often a window into my heart. To the extent that my pen writes the words that my mouth cannot say about what lies within the depths of my heart, I write to open my heart to the world.

_________________________________________________________________________

If you are a writer and wish to share why you write, please leave a comment on this site after reading this or email me at ruminantionsb@gmail.com