Plagued for a sense of meaning

In Paul's class yesterday we became engrossed in a conversation about writing in journals and why people blog online/ are now so open to expressing themselves and sharing with millions of strangers what they used to keep secret and so privately stored away.  After thinking about it more, I think that this conversation also connects to the second half of our discussion about The Plague. 

Paul brought up the idea that the plague is the random element of change that can be good or bad.  It opens the possibility of individuals playing a role in the meaning of events and I think that that meaning is something all humans desire.  Individuals desire meaning in different forms: meaning as personal praise like compliments on appearance, meaning in the shape of rewards for working hard like good grades after long hours of studying, meaning in knowing you helped someone else by volunteering in the community, meaning you feel after scoring a goal in a sports game, etc. 

This “meaning” no matter what form it comes in, gives one a sense of “right” or “good” and we work so hard to achieve it because it makes us feel better about ourselves and like we matter/ have a significant place in the world.  I think that blogging has become so popular because it can give one instant “meaning” in knowing that someone out there is reading and interested in what you are doing and the random events of your life.  Whether someone “likes” your status update on Facebook describing your excitement over what is being served for lunch, or you have 20 new followers on twitter because you tagged a new trend, this desire for meaning is our plague.  It can motivate us to work harder and do better for others or it can lead to our demise as we never find the ultimate “meaning” we so strive for and think we need to be happy.