The truth that you are ACCOUNTABLE, LIABLE, IMPACTED by EVERYTHING you are — cannot be avoided
What you ARE is life you’ll LIVE
PUBLICITY, PUBLIC RESPONSIBILITY, ACCOUNTABILITY, FAME, SOCIAL MEDIA — all AMPLIFY that fact however
That which you DO that impacts others — matters more the more people you impact
This includes both your actions and your entire being
-everything you LIKE about you — is now VALIDATED by those who also like it
-everything you DON’T LIKE about you — is now AMPLIFIED by those who also don’t like it
-AND there’s what others don’t like you even though you LOVE that about you
-AND there’s even what you HATE about you but others LOVE
+obviously most often it’s a total CAULDRON of different reactions, which is UTTERLY CONFUSING
It is thus a completely DOUBLE EDGED SWORD
publicity, fame, social media
Indeed you can use it to AMPLIFY your INTEGRITY, your MOTIVATION
-if you know what your VALUES are
-or if you know what your authority is
Or you can use it to whitewash your shortcomings,
or even go MAD
-when you don’t know what your VALUES are
-when you can’t separate cold specific FEEDBACK from SELF-PERCEPTION, EGO
-when you become too NUMB to other person, other voices
-…or TOO sensitive
-when you lack STRENGTH to OWN UP your mistakes — which is harder when those are more public
-etc
Furthermore INTERNET has made it far worse
-for you can’t erase it
-can’t control it
-you’re never noticed
-then you go viral
-then you’re forgotten
-and each of those could be devastating
-can’t reverse it
-if it was hard to change before — imagine how hard it is now
…AND INTERNET works in a UNLIKE-LIFE WAYS
-the EXTREME is amplified
-the POLARISATION is accentuated
-the DUMBER is uplifted
-the NUANCE is OBLITERATED
This is not a normal public life. It’s a TWISTED caricature of it
Thus unless you are extremely aware of ALL of those FORCES at play, and EXTREMELY SELF-AWARE of how they potentially can be impacting you — they WILL STEAL YOUR SOUL
What do you do with it all?
Unless you live in the forest — you are a PERSON among the PUBLIC = public matters
you have a job, you do groceries, you have neighbours, friends, lovers, you abide by the laws passed by the representatives you voted…
And the more you want from the world — the more you have to GIVE to the world — and that involves more or less intermediaries
-whether it’s your boss
-your customers
-your voters
-your entire audience
Therefore obviously you shouldn’t RUN AWAY from PUBLIC RESPONSIBILITY, ACCOUNTABILITY — if what you want to ACHIEVE involves ANY PUBLIC element, and almost certainly it does
However,
you should NEVER SEEK IT for it’s own sake
AND in those times — be extremely careful, and leaning on the side of CAUTION
Because we normalised being public whores, for no gain, and net loss to our dignity, privacy and PERSONAL responsibility …
… responsibility pertaining to what you DO when no one is looking — rather than for SHOW
And we of course are utterly oblivious how TOXIC the modern forms of ENGAGING the PUBLIC are
Like I once said: problem with modernity is that we are simply not modern
And like I say: it’s all a TOOL you use. Learn to use it
If you don’t know how to use it — don’t use it
Separate the signal from the noise, separate what MATTERS from what doesn’t
Focus on your work, on the value you can provide, on TRUTH and REALITY
Not talking about truth and reality — but actual truth, something you work on and test every day
THEN share it with the world
To the extent to which it is relevant to the world
Let the world take your great work — or leave it
Share no more than that
Take constructive criticism in return
Take meaningful praise in return
Take new opportunities in return
And ignore everything else. Literally fucking delete it