Why Blog?

Hugh Hewitt's new book Blog had some answers to the question "Why Blog"? But none of his answers had much traction for me, so I thought I'd put a little thought to why I'm spending all this time pounding at the keyboard for my (few but much appreciated) gentle readers. Mr Hewitt tells us:

Tow reasons: to persuade and to leave a record of having been there. Both are vain efforts in the long haul. Both efforts have never not been hallmarks of humanity. "All is vanity and a chasing after the wind," says Ecclesiastes (1:14).

Now I must beg to disagree.
I don't think either of those reasons are really my primary reasons for blogging. But did make me pause. After all, Why am I blogging. I've said in conversations with a co-worker that perhaps I blog because I had started leaving comments on Joe Carter's site regularly enough that I decided to get in on the act myself. But that certainly can't explain spending a few hours a day 6 or so days a week wracking my grey cells, pounding the keyboard, and scouring the blogosphere to try to write insightful posts. So, let me try to think out loud (so to speak). What are the reasons I blog (and why a sitemeter)?

• I blog to understand. I don't understand the right/left red/blue life/choice (or whatever) divide that seems to be growing now in this country. I'm firmly on one (the right) side. But I have trouble comprehending the other. I don't believe that they're stupid, evil, or uninformed (for the most part). So I hunt for a better explanation.
• I did start with an idea to persuade. The election was hot and heavy and I wanted to be part of the public debate. One the other hand, given a frank appraisal of my micro-blog status, that reason can't justify the effort.
• I find the act of writing essays goes a long way toward developing my thoughts on topics and issues which are important to me.
• I was raised a Christian. I fell away in my youth and recently have "returned". In some frail sense, like Augustine before me, I blog my faith journey.

Well none of those go far to explain why the sitemeter is checked daily but as to that perhaps as Mr Hewitt rightly says "is vanity".