Censored or Uncensored?

Continuing the 4,000 Questions series: "Daily Journal: would you write censored or uncensored if you knew future generations would read it?"

The answer is, somewhere in the middle, which, I know, would make some people say I fall on the side of censoring. The thing is, I don't believe anybody would write something completely uncensored if he or she knew it were going to be read by other people -- even if we're talking about future generations. Some might be willing to spill everything regarding the way they feel about certain topics or people, but few of us know the depths of our own depravity. And even if we know it, that same depravity tends to make us go easier on ourselves, and that is a form of censorship. Besides, I don't think anything is gained from tearing other people down.

I have a friend who loves golf. He takes his little nephew to the driving range sometimes and he teaches him how to hold a golf club, how to swing one, etc. My friend has been keeping a journal of each of their outings over the years and he plans to give it to him some day. Can you imagine how that is going to make his nephew feel? He's going to know his uncle loved him enough to jot down the events of every outing he took with his uncle when he was young. He certainly won't feel cheated due to the fact that his uncle didn't mention any frustrations he might have felt at the time about how disinterested his nephew appeared on one particular outing or how rude somebody in the pro shop may have been. Those things probably won't even cross my friend's nephew's mind as he reads the entries.

When we are fortunate enough to get the opportunity to read somebody's journal from a previous generation, there is an assumed level of censorship going in. But that doesn't make the reading any less interesting or relevant.