Tarmle ([info]tarmle) wrote,
@ 2005-09-30 01:54:00
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Entry tags:secrecy is weakness

Secrecy is Weakness: Free from Harm
There are those who keep secrets because they fear they will be harmed, and there are those who keep secrets because they have harmed or intend harm to someone. In all cases it must be the goal of society to render those secrets obsolete. Those who fear ridicule, discrimination and hatred over some ludicrously simple piece of information must be provided a society that is prepared to accept that information without hesitation or prejudgement. Those who would do harm should not be provided the luxury of keeping their transgression or their intention a secret.

It is not enough simply to reveal a secret that may injure oneself. Instead the world must be altered so that such secrets becomes unnecessary.

Our world is addicted to secrecy, an addiction so pervasive that it is pivotal to our very concept of self, of personality, of individuality. We wear our secrets like armour though all this does is pin us down under the weight of them, making us more vulnerable rather than less.

A world that no longer requires secrecy will be a world where we learn who we really are, a world that does not permit harm, a world that is free.

[ My (rather earnest) response to a comment on The Ruins' LazyLog ]


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[info]spikeedragon
2005-09-30 10:49 pm UTC (link)
"[People] must be provided a society that is prepared to accept that information without hesitation or prejudgement."

Absolutely right. Shame the use of fear is such a good way to control people, those in charge won't give that up. Fear of ridicule and fear of rejection certainly seem to be the dominating factors. I always stay away from using such devices for power over people, nobody tends to notice tho. The folly of altruism.

People will never admit they feel the same way you do. All this fronting and for what?

I'm all for a utopian society where we live by undeniably truthful ideals and are catered for what we need as animals alone. I either get called a hippie or a religious nut even tho both of those titles don't fit me at all. Hippies believe in peace and my 'religion' is only theory based on contemplation of the unknown.

I wish we where free as well as true to ourselves every moment of everyday.

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[info]tarmle
2005-10-02 07:04 pm UTC (link)
I've just remembered there was a Brian Aldiss novel about a future in which everyone had implants in their foreheads that indicated when they were lying.

I don’t think a SiW utopia would work quite like that, rather it would be set up so that lying was simply irrelevant. But I can only imagine that it would take something that drastic to make the transition. We are so hardwired to the concept of secrecy that we can barely imagine what it would like to have utterly transparent lives.

...and yet we are fascinated by the concept of seeing into others' lives, how else would such things as Big Brother work. One might almost argue that these programmes are preparation...

You know, I only wrote the Secrecy is Weakness thing because I was perturbed at the ever-increasing scale of my password locker file.

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[info]spikeedragon
2005-10-07 01:46 pm UTC (link)
To make secrets irrelevant you would have to remove the fear factor thru the cause of retaliation. Where a factor was not deemed socially unacceptable there would be no need to keep a secret. However there is a collective standard and expected result in most cultures kept alive by their popular culture. A more realistic approach to entertainment and removal of stereotypes being looped (passed on) would help. In an egotistical society where brute retaliation is denied, a feeling of helplessness can occur and a need for linguistic power trips over your race is required. Education is a pretty broad fault that is used to explain many follies of humanity yet it is not safe to have a country that is too well versed. Anarchy is the closest (to our current point) that you will get to an existence close to your animalistic tendencies, something that has the potential to cater to your fundamental drives, but such ways of life result in many travesties as we have seen recently. On a whole I'd say most people are happy with the current mess, that's the nature of conservatism.

I think the big appeal of real life television is it's just that. Rather then a bloke with plastic teeth and hair in a sparkly suit being your televisual host for the evening, people you can connect with are there. You can sympathise with there shortcomings or appreciate their outlook on life. It's just real, we are all characters in life. Personally I prefer to watch and develop my minds eye. I have to be careful tho, asking yourself can be no sensible place for answers.

Now when people say 'Big Brother' they think of a techno theme and idiots running around in their kex rather then Echelon scanning electronic communications for key words, keeps the minds pointing away from all that. Sheer coincidence but convenient for those wishing to keep awareness of such things down.

Someone refused to tell me what was on his mind, this resulted in me not knowing how to act accordingly to the situation. His weakness to trust me meant the night ended in tragedy. At the end of the day you have to trust your associates. Secrecy is Weakness can apply to many things, it's very thought provoking campaign.

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