A Sea Change

The phrase in the title has the connotation of a radical change in a situation. It comes from The Tempest:

Full fathom five thy father lies,

Of his bones are coral made,
Those are pearls that were his eyes,
Nothing of him that doth fade,
But doth suffer a sea-change,
into something rich and strange,
Sea-nymphs hourly ring his knell,
Ding-dong.

Hark! now I hear them, ding-dong, bell.

I've been stalled on the revisions for several weeks, only sporadically making progress. I filled the time with some organization and housework, as well as clearing up some financial paperwork.

The rest of the time, I've been reading on the web. A lot of bloggers/magazines are changed, or gone completely. The focus of many has shifted from longer, more philosophical pieces, to shorter, link-laden posts. Frequency has diminished, as well.

Similarly, except for the most fervent partisans, use of social media has dropped. Many are checking in only to upload pictures and memes, and interact with offline friends and family.

Why?

One consistent finding is that the writers are moving away from their previous outlets, and dedicating more time to book publishing. The number, and percentage, of former bloggers who've made that leap to various indie publishing formats is high.

I think our previous use of persuasive media for political/social/cultural activism may be, for now, ending. I don't know what, if anything, will replace it. But, for both Red and Blue partisans, the fervor to express their opinions may be lessening.

I like to think it's a natural ebb and flow. Nothing lasts forever, and it very well may be time for a change - not just for a society or community, but in personal terms, as well.

I've done that before, at pivotal times in my life. I've made a deliberate decision to 'check out' of the madness, and step into a new phase of my life. I did so at certain times - after having children, after a move, when dealing with family issues/problems, and when just in need of mental cleansing and rehabilitation.

I'll still keep posting, at least once a week, and as something catches my attention. But, I, like so many others, just need a temporary break.


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