Writing as Life
Tom Yonashiro
Ph.D. in Philosophy & Religion, seasoned in IT & cybersecurity marketing. A lay philosopher, I find awe in the pursuit of knowledge through writing.
Reflecting on my life, writing has become one of my most meaningful activities. In adolescence, whenever I faced challenges, I instinctively turned to writing to process my thoughts and emotions to find clarity. The act of putting pen to paper or fingers to keyboard helped me reflect more deeply. Sadly, those early digital and handwritten scribblings are now lost, as I had not yet embraced writing as something to nurture.
As I progressed in my academic career, reading and writing became central pillars—after all, to study philosophy is to read, think, and analyze critically at every turn. My days were filled with poring over texts, scribbling notes in margins, drafting careful arguments. I delighted in this world of scholarship and self-discovery. During my doctoral studies, writing was my life, the truest expression of my identity.
In time though, I stepped from academia into the so-called “real world” of business and commerce. Now my days revolved around different texts: reports, memos, presentations. Self-inquiry no longer drove my writing; profit did. For some years, my old joy in writing withered under the crushing demands of corporate life. But even when relegated to quick journal fragments tapped on phone screens in rare free moments, I never fully abandoned writing.
As the years passed, roles changed; so too did my writing. Caring for family required new forms of emotional articulation. Leadership meant persuasively communicating vision and values. Even in daily digital notes and birthday cards, my written voice connected me to others.
By reflecting back now with clearer vision, I recognize the thread weaving through it all: Writing has always enabled me to translate life’s complexities into meaning. Whenever challenges or transitions arose, writing shepherded my most difficult transformations. In every season, whether academic or personal, creative or workaday, writing helped crystallize unformed thoughts into conviction and insight.
So here I now sit, writing still, making sense still. I may no longer parse philosophical arguments in the way I used to do, but I face the same call to clarify and celebrate this existence. What lies ahead in my remaining days, I do not know. But I take comfort in the lifelong companion beside me—fingers poised above keyboard and screen. I muse on how much more I can write before my time runs dry, determined to channel all that remains into this lifelong wellspring of insight.
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