I was in a meeting with four colleagues and the big boss. A phone call was transferred to our conference room for the CEO and he took the call. It soon became obvious this was a very private call. We all watched as he received bad news. As he hung up the phone, he turned to us to explain. His son had been caught smoking pot in school and would not be graduating high school. Although this was obviously a matter he would have preferred to keep private, the timing may have had a greater purpose. I was able to provide comfort; because I have first-hand experience with teenagers who break the law and everything came out all right.
What is the human tendency—privacy or openness? Facebook created an uproar recently over retaining the personal information, pictures and messages of their users without consent. I’ll very loosely paraphrase founder Mark Zuckerberg’s off-record response; ‘People who post sh#$ on Facebook and expect it to be private are idiots.’ I suppose that’s true. My Mom is appalled that I’m blogging about very personal feelings and experiences. She thinks it’s ridiculous that I’m talking to other people in front of other people through my posts. And, my Mom is shocked that she can see the wedding and baby pictures of so many people we know, but like a train wreck—she is compelled to watch.
The internet today is all abuzz about privacy, and rightfully so. Google will ding (penalize) a website that doesn’t publish a privacy policy. I wrote my company’s Prayables, privacy policy, using a free website tool that delivers a fantastic website-ready legal document. With websites meeting the demand for privacy policies, how can users of the social networks be open and honest in online interactions and still retain an appropriate level of privacy? When we are face-to-face with a person who is emotionally raw or hurt spiritually, it can be intimidating to reach out. My co-workers, who were present to witness the painful scene with our boss in the conference room, were instinctively embarrassed and speechless. I’m glad I spoke up. I urge everyone to re-consider their personal privacy policy.
If we’re ever going to repair the world, we need to promote understanding and end intolerance. If, by exposing our private business, we can help another, then so be it. We’re trying to create a loving world. Let go of your secrets, wear your spiritually on the outside and extend friendship to a stranger. Open up.
Here’s a prayer from www.Prayables.com
Making Room
The sign on the wall simply reads: Be Open.
I pray I can be open to change,
open to hope, open to love.
I want to be open to joy,
and open to unexpected grace.
I will be open to gifts You bless me with,
whether I know it or not.
I know I can do what I ask of myself—
to be open to the life I need.
