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Privacy

Meriam-Webster defines privacy as:

1 a: the quality or state of being apart from company or observation : seclusion
b: freedom from unauthorized intrusion
2 archaic: a place of seclusion
3 a: secrecy
b: a private matter : secret

Makes sense, right? We all like our privacy, right?

More interesting are the words considered to be synonyms of 'privacy':

Synonyms: aloneness, insulation, isolation, secludedness, seclusion, segregation, separateness, sequestration, solitariness, solitude

Related Words: loneliness, lonesomeness; vacuum; confinement, incarceration, internment, quarantine; retirement, withdrawal; ghettoization

Funny, no one ever wants to be alone. Everyone is always searching for that special someone. Usually, they want to find that special someone so the two of them can go do certain things in private! That's when one really wants privacy!

But, it's the 3rd definition of privacy that I think most Americans think of. Secrecy. No one ever wants their secrets told. Why not? Just what is it that people are doing in private that needs to remain such a secret?

If it's sex...I got news for ya...it's not a big secret. It's how we ALL got here. (except for the test tube babies and maybe Sarah Palin) Pretty much everyone I know wants sex at some point. That's no secret.

Are people perhaps ashamed of who they're having sex with? Again...why? If someone turns you on and the two of you get to bumping uglies...good for you! While it doesn't warrant a parade, I, for one, am thrilled that someone finds you special enough to get naked with. If you enjoyed the sex, or at least the situations that led up to the sex, why would anyone want to hide from those facts?

Perhaps people are doing things that they shouldn't...and that's why they demand so much privacy. Shame could well be the root of this need for privacy...especially online.

If you're doing something that you feel ashamed of, you may want to ask yourself why you're doing it in the first place. Sure, YOU may enjoy it...but can these actions, acted out in private or in the belief that one can expect a level of privacy, can these actions hurt someone...perhaps someone you care about, if these actions were to come to light? If that's the case...why do them? One wouldn't necessarily spit in the face of someone they care about or call them rude names...so why do "private things" that could hurt someone?

Perhaps these private acts involve things like gossip, or perhaps even a matter of questionable legality. Someone is bound to get hurt if the facts of those so-called private matters came to light. Gossip and lies hurts people. Illegal activities hurt people (there truly are no victimless crimes). So why do them? If you're not doing something that will hurt someone else, why the need for privacy?

Don't get me wrong. I'm a pretty private person. I have no shame for anything I do nor is anything I'm doing likely to hurt anyone, I just don't always like people. I grew up in a household with 3 siblings (who I love dearly)...but I had to get really good at hiding things lest I lose them. My one brother in particular...if I hid $5 somewhere in my room, he'd find it. And take it. That was hurtful to me. I'm not a materialistic person...never have been...but sometimes I was trying to save up for something...perhaps for someone else.  That's what always irked me.

Privacy can also just mean a little peace and quiet. I really like that sort of privacy. Being able to sit in the backyard in my underwear while drinking some beers...now that's my kind of privacy! While the sight of me in my guchies may not be the prettiest sight in the world, it's yet to kill anyone or leave them blind, paralyzed, or even queasy. It may even get a laugh.

So ask yourself why you need so much privacy. What is it you're trying to hide...and from whom? Yes, we Americans have certain rights to our privacy...but really, how much privacy is really a good thing? Just something to think about........

M

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