I had a teacher in high school who said that there’s a possibility that keeping a diary could be considered Lashon Hara, even if it’s not accessible to anyone but the writer. She explained that sometimes you vent in a diary and if you read it years later, you may be reminded of old hurts which were long forgotten and dredge up hard feelings that had long been resolved. And she’s right! I recently read some diary entries from years ago and I was reminded of fights I had had at the time and injustices done by people in my life. It did stir up some resentment and therefore, I’m having a hard time reconciling the right way to go about writing, with its therapeutic ability, and the possibility that it will be harmful if read somewhere down the line? Maybe the best would be to write and then dispose of it?
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