Joseph poses a good idea in his posting on Changes in Lobbying Practices
Lobbyists would be required to hire a Congressional stenographer to record the entire interaction, every single time they interact with someone in Congress. The transcript would then go on the Internet.
Better yet, the whole thing also would be videotaped, and the recording would then become public information.
For decades, I have advised people who write email messages, usenet postings, forum messages, etc., to avoid writing anything which they would not say face-to-face in a public place. Following this guideline would almost completely eliminate flame wars. We rarely see one person “go off on” another during a conversation at Denny’s. Why? Because when talking to another person “in person,” you see the humanity in him. You see the reactions in his eyes and sense the impact your words are having on his heart. This feedback keeps you from saying things which are outrageously hurtful or inflamatory.
Now combine my suggestion for written communication with Joseph’s idea for publicizing lobbyist’s conversations with congressfolk: What if you lived your whole life as though it were open to public review? Oh sure, I know that everyone has private moments, lots of them. I am not suggesting that you remove the curtains from your bedroom window. I am talking about the stuff that you do “out there,” in public but not really in public. Like the time you get really angry and are about to say *&^%, do you get that little feeling in the pit of your stomach that hopes that ___ won’t find out? Or what about the time you want to buy ___ but pray that ___ won’t discover your purchase? I am sure that you can imagine a few more situations.
When one of my sons grew to teenagerhood and became intensely interested in the telephone, we had a family talk. I reiterated our family tradition of respecting closed doors. (We never open a closed door without knocking and being invited to do so.) I also added the notion that, while some phone calls deserve privacy, if there are a series of conversations which seem to demand secrecy then a big red warning flag should be waving in your mind.
The deceptions and lies add up and eat at your soul, each one just a tiny bit. Like gossip, they also hurt the other people involved. How much better would your life be without all of these little pin-pricks of nagging guilt and worry?
Try this the next time you are about to do something and you feel a little knot forming in your stomach. Imagine explaining it to your daughter or your father or your closest friend. Are you explaining it with pride? Are you hoping that this person will emulate your actions?
Living transparently is living as through everyone could see everything that you are doing. How much better would your life be without the burdens of secrets?
