PRIVACY is about NOT DESECRATING what you hold dearest

 

If something is truly PERSONAL And INDIVIDUAL — it naturally isn’t very universal, is it

and for that reason — it could hardly be universally understood

and therefore could hardly BENEFIT from being universally BROADCASTED

 

It could however be MARRED by that process — as you watch others TWIST it

-either by outright hating it

-or plain not understanding it at all

-by distorting it into something that is not yours

-or trying to destroy it

 

And of COURSE you don’t want to MAR what you HOLD DEAREST,

so you will AVOID LIKE PLAGUE this predictable CLUELESSNESS and CONFUSION and MISUNDERSTANDING

-it basically can’t benefit you

-it’s a WASTE of your time

-and it can even RUIN it for you

 

You don’t cast pearls before the swine

And you definitely don’t rely on the swine to validate your jewels

That would be absurd

 

This, I believe, is the fundamental instinct behind the need for privacy

 

You don’t just take from the world — you give to the world

And then what you give to the world — can also become what returns to you, from the world

You select what you take

AND you select what you give

lest it returns to you in less-than-desirable form

 

And the generalisation of this explains the original meaning of privacy

Why would you REVEAL yourself to the world?

“It’s just who I am”, you might say

But what are you? And why should others even see it?

 

Others should see you… when you choose to see them

Others should see as much of you as is necessary — for the two of you to form a productive relationship

You should always give pertinent information — that is merely a function of basic honesty

But should you give more than that? What for?

 

Indeed, giving more than that is even unpragmatic

It’s a security risk

Information is power. Why voluntarily give power over yourself to others, for no clear gain?

 

Nor is it “insecure” to be reluctant to “reveal yourself”

Or rather,

Insecurity is your attitude to what you believe about yourself to be less than flattering

What you tend to courageously reveal about yourself — tends to be what you hope people will see about you

Both the fear of being seen as you truly are — and desire as being seen advantageously — are delusional,

For ultimately you are PRECISELY what you are, and can DO precisely what you can do — no more no less

All that you fear is unflattering about yourself — is just reality. Why deny reality? Isn’t that a recipe to madness?

And all that you think is so impressive about you — only matters if it truly is the case. Which is demonstrated beyond the favourable 5 minutes of self-promotion

The attitude is to have no fear of BEING SEEN, BEING REVEALED, whatsoever — for that is merely WHO YOU ARE

But no desire either, to be seen in as specific way — for again — you are EXACTLY WHAT YOU ARE and CAN NEVER BE MORE THAN THAT

 

And thus indeed, you’re as naked as the situation demands it,

And never naked without a reason

How vulgar would that be

How silly and incontinent

 

…and how boring!

You’re a WORK IN PROGRESS

You’re a phenomenon that comes into contact with different phenomenons, giving rise to yet different phenomenons,

And you’d like to encapsulate all that in some bromide biographical statement,

a “profile picture”,

a career,

this is nonsense,

and it’s crude and vulgar and selling yourself short

 

You should reinvent yourself every minute

In NEW CONTACT with NEW REALITIES AND ENTITIES

Not fake yourself every minute, obviously

But explore the new real yourself, every minute

And it’s even harder to do when you think you’ve FIXED yourself, in some part,

And when others see you as fixed as well,

because that’s how you presented yourself to them, UNEQUIVOCALLY, how you rubbed yourself in their faces

no privacy, no restraint, no poetry,

ultimately not even true individuality,

for that you’d want to keep to yourself