*Write your thoughts and if you agree or disagree with this discussion post. Add your own thoughts about the parts of the brain and methods used to study it. Opinions or predictions as well. Provide specific quotes from the story to supports your answer.

I really do think notebook-keeping and/or journal-keeping are still relevant in today's day and age despite the increased use of modern technology because I think it has become more recently popular among my generation. I think in today's society there has been a growing popularity of going to therapy and I think that might have to do with the trend of journaling. I only say it's a trend because sometimes that's how these things go. As life changes and society changes, sometimes what used to be popular runs its course and fades into the past. However, right now, I think journaling is a fairly popular activity. I think once therapy became more popular, it became normalized. In turn, that led to journaling, which became more popular and therefore normalized. People are looking more into themselves and taking steps for self-improvement. "Remember what it was to be me:that is always the point" (4). This line helps depict the reason behind keeping a notebook or, in this case, journaling. Young people today journal in order to work through their thoughts and feelings or to possibly connect what is happening to them today with a similar experience in the past. People who journal do it to understand themselves better by analyzing their thoughts and feelings. It is also a way to better oneself because we are able to detect a fault in our reasoning or behavior and contemplate ways for improvement. I don't know if it would make sense for a journal to have an audience, though. For Didion, nobody else would be able to understand or take away anything from her notebook entries. However, if someone read another person's journal, they would be able to understand it, but the writing was not initially intended for an audience since it consists of the inner workings of someone's brain. A journal is too personal to share.

This actually reminds me of Matthew McConaughey because he kept a journal throughout his entire life and he would look back on it whenever he was struggling to see what he was doing during a time of his life when he was successful. That would help him turn his life around and get back on track. That concept aligns with Didion's idea of the purpose of a notebook because McConaughey was remembering himself by going back and reading past entries to fix his current situation.

Reference:

https://sanmiguelwritersconference.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/406-706-Looking-Back-Moving-Forward-Jessica-Handler.pdf