blake johnson

I just read a except from a book by William Griffis, an American that went to Japan in the 1870s and stayed there for quite a few years. Griffis kept pretty extensive journals, but the reason that he did this is not entirely clear. One historian suggests that it might just have been out of family tradition. But, it reminded me of comments that I have heard others make (sometimes tongue-in-check, sometimes not) about leaving materials for our biographers. This always amuses me because it is at once a very arrogant statement, but on the other hand, if any of us actually do end up making a significant contribution to the world, then it is not such a bad idea afterall.

In any case, these thoughts have me thinking about trying to keep a journal again. Not because I think I am going to be a great person, but for my own entertainment (I have a journal from Swiss Semester which is highly entertaining to read).