YOUR LIFE IN THREE PARTS: PUBLIC, PRIVATE, AND SECRET

Where Do You Spend The Most Time?

Big Fish via santabanta.com

Too many times someone passes away and the information doors open.

You find out more about them than you ever could have guessed, or wanted to know.

How did you miss so much?

It happens to everyone, but when someone close to you dies it feels different. Not a betrayal as much as it’s a feeling of communication, or lack of.

Why didn’t you talk more, ask more questions, share more about yourself?

Then you remember how much time you did spend together. You talked about everything, not just trending topics of the day.

The person you thought you knew comes across a stranger when you learn the scope of their life.

Public figures, from politicians to movie stars, are experts at hiding behind their well-crafted personas. Who would expect the same of someone from your own circle of friends?

It is distressing, but the same will happen when you die.

To put it into a better perspective, consider the differences in Facebook and Google+.

With Facebook, everyone’s a ‘friend.’ Google plus adds to it with friends, family, acquaintances, and following. In Facebook you’re all things to all people, while there’s mystery in Google+.

Not everyone needs knows everything.

The Sports World

Who knew NFL superstar Adrian Peterson likes to thrash his kids? That’s the sort of news you’d hope not to find. It’s hard looking at the bright eyed Viking with the gleaming smile the same way.

The intensity takes a turn toward maniac with the image of a kid covering up from whip lashes that landed on his top, bottom, and across his arms. Those were called defensive marks.

No one wanted to see Dallas Cowboy owner Jerry Jones photographed in a bathroom with escorts/strippers. There’s something about an older man getting worked by professional emo-manipulators that leaves a sour note in the air.

Better to spend more time being a bad General Manager of one of world’s most valuable franchises than a geriatric boy-toy.

These two men had good public lives. Now that we’ve seen a glimpse of their private lives, let’s hope their secrets stay hidden.

Celebrity Nude Photos

An even better example of public, private, and secret comes from the recent celebrity nude photo hack.

We see their public lives on red carpets, on screen, and it ought to be enough. But the paparazzi invade their private lives to show more of them and even that’s not enough.

In a world of anonymous nudity, who needs to put a name to a face attached to a Hollywood bod? Include me out. If someone wants you to see them naked, they’ll text an image to you.

Who’s the hacker who got all butt-hurt that Jennifer Lawrence didn’t text them a shot? Way to go, pal. You broke the Secret Life code. Feeling better about yourself? Kate Upton sends her regards.

Sharing

You’ve got to know you’re headed to jail where your new friends will show you the meaning of privacy, because you won’t have any. Try and keep that secret on the cell block.

The world of sharing is a wonderful thing. The sharing economy, the rental economy, the collaborative economy all mean opening up to trust. Give and you shall receive.

Out in public it all works. Lots of good words for AirBnB and Uber, but privately opinions change.

If there is a secret part, and you know the secret, keep it to yourself.