Would You Want to Have Your Life Exposed to the World Like Kavanaugh's Was?
Would you want your life exposed the way Brett Kavanaugh's was last week? The sane and settled among us would - one hopes - say "No!". And yet many already do, or seek to, expose themselves to the public eye. With social media and reality television, we find so many who would open a window into what should be the privacy of their day-to-day thoughts and activities, as well as their personal relationships.
With that in mind, I happened to discover this passage that addresses this...in 1903! Yep, the issue of intrusion into your private life and behaviors that have in our day resulted in a "selfie" society were all there in 1903. As well, you'll see why curiosity about and prying into other people's affairs will cause false rumors to spread and be accepted, even in cases where people have no self-serving intent. The author even captures the envy that results when people poke their faces into the lives of those who have more than they do. Add in the self-serving intent of various senators, as you saw in the Kavanaugh hearings last week, and you'll understand why the author characterizes such behavior as "evil."
This was an eye-opener for me. What we see around us has deep roots in the past. It's simply now on steroids, fed by technology and - as noted in our last post - a deeply divided society, possibly on the verge of civil war. (Sheesh, did I say that?) Anyway, here goes...
We are living in a time of peculiar publicity. A man's house is no longer his castle. An army of reporters invades it, and the sayings and doings of family life are dragged forth to the eye of day, and paraded in the newspapers. So far has the evil gone, that people seem to have a sort of hungry craving to behold themselves in print; and long lists of names and descriptions of dresses appear after a wedding or a party, like the names of the rescued on a burnt steamship, or of the heroes returning wounded from the seat of war. A continual feast is spread for vanity and self-conceit, while envy lurks in the shadow, and carping criticism whispers at the door.
Far worse than this, men's characters are well-nigh set at nought. Some light mind and idle tongue starts a surmise; it runs on, and the next tongue makes it a suspicion; the third repeats it as a downright statement of fact. Nobody intends to tell a falsehood about it, but somehow it gets to be a falsehood; and the blame falls back, too often, where it has least reason to fall.
The author proposes a solution to all this madness, as you'll see below. Some of you may get this right away, some may be puzzled by it, some may reject it outright. But if you're puzzled or reject it, you need to confront the assertion that "no character is safe" and find a solution of your own. Of course, there's always the attitude of "I don't care what people think." But does that really address the culture of character assassination surrounding us? I'd say this is something like the overarching problem of hacking that puts all of us at risk of having our personal identity stolen, our financial accounts at risk of being invaded and rifled in the blink of an eye. Do you just shrug your shoulders at this? Don't you take some sort of defensive measures, if nothing more than vigilance? Well I suggest you do the same for your good name, i.e., your character (assuming, of course that it is indeed basically good!). Anyway, consider the author's suggestion. He's clearly got a strong religious sensibility.
What character can feel itself safe these days? We may truly answer that no character is safe. There is no help for it except to put one's self wholly and humbly into the hand of God, bearing criticism and evil report as we would bear any cross or trial, knowing that in His own time He will certainly overrule all for good.
Depending on God to make things right really is the only ultimate solution here. Then again, since most of us will likely have some more time here on earth for things to percolate, it's worth thinking about what's swirling around us and take whatever measures you can to protect yourself.
And if you're thinking I mean avoiding or at least minimizing your involvement with social media as a start, you'd be right.
With that in mind, I happened to discover this passage that addresses this...in 1903! Yep, the issue of intrusion into your private life and behaviors that have in our day resulted in a "selfie" society were all there in 1903. As well, you'll see why curiosity about and prying into other people's affairs will cause false rumors to spread and be accepted, even in cases where people have no self-serving intent. The author even captures the envy that results when people poke their faces into the lives of those who have more than they do. Add in the self-serving intent of various senators, as you saw in the Kavanaugh hearings last week, and you'll understand why the author characterizes such behavior as "evil."
This was an eye-opener for me. What we see around us has deep roots in the past. It's simply now on steroids, fed by technology and - as noted in our last post - a deeply divided society, possibly on the verge of civil war. (Sheesh, did I say that?) Anyway, here goes...
We are living in a time of peculiar publicity. A man's house is no longer his castle. An army of reporters invades it, and the sayings and doings of family life are dragged forth to the eye of day, and paraded in the newspapers. So far has the evil gone, that people seem to have a sort of hungry craving to behold themselves in print; and long lists of names and descriptions of dresses appear after a wedding or a party, like the names of the rescued on a burnt steamship, or of the heroes returning wounded from the seat of war. A continual feast is spread for vanity and self-conceit, while envy lurks in the shadow, and carping criticism whispers at the door.
Far worse than this, men's characters are well-nigh set at nought. Some light mind and idle tongue starts a surmise; it runs on, and the next tongue makes it a suspicion; the third repeats it as a downright statement of fact. Nobody intends to tell a falsehood about it, but somehow it gets to be a falsehood; and the blame falls back, too often, where it has least reason to fall.
The author proposes a solution to all this madness, as you'll see below. Some of you may get this right away, some may be puzzled by it, some may reject it outright. But if you're puzzled or reject it, you need to confront the assertion that "no character is safe" and find a solution of your own. Of course, there's always the attitude of "I don't care what people think." But does that really address the culture of character assassination surrounding us? I'd say this is something like the overarching problem of hacking that puts all of us at risk of having our personal identity stolen, our financial accounts at risk of being invaded and rifled in the blink of an eye. Do you just shrug your shoulders at this? Don't you take some sort of defensive measures, if nothing more than vigilance? Well I suggest you do the same for your good name, i.e., your character (assuming, of course that it is indeed basically good!). Anyway, consider the author's suggestion. He's clearly got a strong religious sensibility.
What character can feel itself safe these days? We may truly answer that no character is safe. There is no help for it except to put one's self wholly and humbly into the hand of God, bearing criticism and evil report as we would bear any cross or trial, knowing that in His own time He will certainly overrule all for good.
Depending on God to make things right really is the only ultimate solution here. Then again, since most of us will likely have some more time here on earth for things to percolate, it's worth thinking about what's swirling around us and take whatever measures you can to protect yourself.
And if you're thinking I mean avoiding or at least minimizing your involvement with social media as a start, you'd be right.
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