I confess, I am something of a journal freak; I really enjoy reading journals, and I don’t care whose journal it is. I have anthologies of journals, I own a complete set of Merton’s published journals, and I have read them all. One reason I enjoy these so much is that it becomes evident, especially from journals written centuries ago, that the more things change, the more they stay the same. It is one reason to be confident in the promises of our Lord that the Church is under His protection, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. The problems that seem so terrible today are really nothing new.
Here’s an example of a journal entry by one Thomas Keame, written in 1706.
1706 - Memorandum that tho' Dr Tyndal of All-Souls be a noted Debauchee and a man of very pernicious Principles, yet he is so sly and cunning, and has that command over his Passions, that he always appears calm and sedate in company, and is very abstemious in his Drink, by which means he has no small advantage over those he discourses with, and is the more able to instill his ill Notions. Thomas Keame
whenever I read peoples' journals, people say I'm a stalker ;)
There is that.