Hey guys,

Thanks to all of you have been keeping up with this blog, especially those who’ve read enough to know some of my story and what I’m all about. Your support really means a lot to me.

I’ve been here for almost a year and a half now, and a lot has happened since I made those first few entries. I’ve come to realize that the original reasons I had for starting this blog, and the additional ones that kept me here for so long, aren’t really relevant to my life anymore.

To elaborate just a tiny bit—

When I started “The Bright Idea,” it was little more than an outlet to help me deal with some crap in my life. But no amount of venting could solve my problems, of course, and eventually I learned that the best way is to let it go, and just accept that some things are beyond my control. Things have a way of turning out for the best all on their own.

Once my petty problems were taken care of—and they really do seem so small now that I’ve got some perspective—this blog turned into a place where I could be just a tiny bit more real than I was on Facebook. I could quote music lyrics without it being awkward! However, after some time I realized that I was turning to Tumblr for my daily supply of “deep stuff,” in a way that now seems rather artificial. I was spending more time reading nice little quotes than actual books.

The composition of my blog reflects this, I think. It hasn’t escaped my attention that about 95% of my posts are reblogs. Occasionally, I write some lengthy post about some event that’s happened to me recently, some interesting thought or feeling that I had… but as a whole, when I look over my this blog, I don’t see it as much more than a collection of odds and ends. It’s an accurate reflection of my taste in art, literature, and music, but not much more.

At the same time, over the past year or so I’ve gone a lot further down the road of figuring out what I want to do with my life. I’m working hard on a double degree with Chinese and International Studies, and I also recently decided to add a Linguistics minor. I’ve been blessed to meet some extremely great people. I’m going to be helping teach free English as a Second Language classes this semester, and I might have something resembling a part-time job in the works. I’ve even been to China! Despite being so busy, I feel a kind of focus in my life that makes it more than bearable. I know where I’m going, God willing, at least for the next few steps.

All that to say, I think that this blog has come to its natural end. I’ve been planning to do this for a while now, and it’s time I stopped putting it off. My current way of doing the whole Tumblr thing has become more of a distraction than anything else. I’m not saying I won’t start a new blog in the future—and when I do, I’ll be sure to post a link here—but it may not be on this website, and it definitely will have a different tone and purpose from “The Bright Idea.” It will have more original content, and it’ll hopefully be a little more “real." 

My address is williamthethird at live dot com. Feel free to contact me anytime. It’s not my main account, but I will get your email if you send it.

I’m really excited for what the future holds. It’s been real, guys—have a good life!

-Will

I’m doing a lot of unfollowing lately—don’t be offended, it isn’t you. It’s part of some changes I’m making in how I use this website—I have a post in the works explaining everything.

No, not one shall be forgotten who was great in the world. But each was great in his own way, and each in proportion to the greatness of that which he loved. For he who loved himself became great by himself, and he who loved other men became great by his selfless devotion, but he who loved God became greater than all.

Everyone shall be remembered, but each became great in proportion to his expectation. One became great by expecting the possible, another by expecting the eternal, but he who expected the impossible became greater than all.

Everyone shall be remembered, but each was great in proportion to the greatness of that with which he strove. For he who strove with the world became great by overcoming the world, and he who strove with himself became great by overcoming himself, but he who strove with God became greater than all.

So there was strife in the world, man against man, one against a thousand, but he who strove with God was greater than all. So there was strife upon earth : there was one who overcame all by his power, and there was one who overcame God by his impotence. There was one who relied upon himself and gained all, there was one who secure in his strength sacrificed all, but he who believed God was greater than all.

There was one who was great by reason of his power, and one who was great by reason of his wisdom, and one who was great by reason of his hope, and one who was great by reason of his love ; but Abraham was greater than all, great by reason of his power whose strength is impotence, great by reason of his wisdom whose secret is foolishness, great by reason of his hope whose form is madness, great by reason of the love which is hatred of oneself.

—Soren Kierkegaard