Sunday, April 4, 2021

A Gathering of Days

 

David Singapogu

Essay Six

A Gathering of Days

 

            Have you ever recorded what has happened in your day? Maybe you’ve kept a journal for a season in time? When you did, did you stop to think twice about what the negatives might be? Probably not.  It probably seemed like a simple decision right?  In the book, “A Gathering of Days,” Catherine decided to write a journal.  These are some of the ways that her record keeping could have negatively affected her over time.  Everyone agrees that recalling our past is an affecting emotional experience.  It moves us in many ways and can help us to recall the stages of our lives. However, some people believe that Catherine should not have written a journal while others disagree and say that Catherine did a good thing by keeping a personal journal. Catherine should not have written a journal for three reasons: journaling is a poor use of time, journaling can reveal private thoughts, and journaling might upset her friends.

            The first reason Catherine should not have written her journal is that journaling is a poor use of time. She could have spent her time learning and getting an education.  She could have spent more time outside. She could have spent time with her friends.  

            Journaling can reveal private thoughts.  Catherine’s journal was a tangible record of her immature thoughts.   Someone might read her personal thoughts and secrets. It would be as if they had just hacked into her personal life a robber. Her journal might cause people to remember times that were better forgotten. 

            The third reason Catherine should not have written her journal is that journaling might upset her friends.   Her friends might be hurt by the things she writes about.  Asa would not like it.  Cassie would not approve either. 

            Some people say that Catherine did the right thing by writing her journal.  They try to persuade us that her journal could be helpful in the future.  They argue that journal help to preserve history and leave a legacy for the authors and others about whom the journal concerns.  However, not all history is beneficial and the legacy the author leaves behind may not be good.  They may also argue that journaling helps to clear the mind.  Afterall, journals help some people to process, to understand and to declutter their thoughts and prevent thoughts from being lost among themselves.  However, I believe that using your mind to elaborate on those thoughts is much better than having them sit on page indefinitely. Neither the fact that journals help people to process, declutter thoughts, and prevent thoughts from being lost among themselves nor the fact that journals help remember and preserve history and leave a legacy for the author and others mentioned in their journal overcome the arguments against keeping a journal.

            Catherine should not have written her journal because there were many ways she could have better used her time, people could not read her mind but they could get access to her journal and find out things she did not want them to know, and her friends might not have approved of her journal.  Catherine should have developed her thoughts, but she decided to let them sit in her journal. This matters to anyone who might consider keeping a journal because problems with keeping a journal might not be immediately obvious.

 

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