Secrecy is sin.
If you have to hide something, you are surely doing something evil. I happen to know first hand: The vast majority of government secrecy is covering up crime. Particularly military secrecy, it’s almost never denying the enemy information, but denying the humanity of victims and troops. It’s as if to say, “We know what’s best, even if we have to manipulate you like some robot to make you do unconscionable evil.” The only time troops are told “need to know basis” is when it’s something troops won’t accept if they know. This reluctance is seldom because they are malingering, but their chain of command knows it’s immoral and are unwilling to do what’s right.
I’ve been praying specifically that God would rip the cover off everything hidden. The divine principle is to reveal, not hide things. The only reason anything in the Bible is a mystery is because people simply reject the underlying assumptions. I would say God has no trouble granting my request; if nothing else, there is a vast horde of people devoted to embarrassing others by revealing secrets, and such is merely the other edge of the same blade of cutting things off with secrecy.
The latest scandals support my contention it’s always about hiding crimes, or at the very least, putting the spotlight on people who say and do things without the support of their own convictions. Neurosis is denying the truth to yourself. Embarrassment is being forced to confront your own contradictions. The best way to avoid embarrassment is simply taking the time to know yourself. Anything you say will be used against you in this world, so make sure your private correspondence contains mere privacy, not secrecy. Privacy is for civility, by withhold information which is of no use to the rest of the world, not to hide stuff which actually affects other people. Be in public what you are in private, not what you believe folks expect.
Sure, plenty of stuff is taking things out of context. Let’s get one thing straight: It is so rare for the news agencies to give an honest account, you should assume every news report is a lie. In my dealings with news folks, they only want something they can sell, and they are never on your side. Use them, but never, ever trust them. Make sure whatever you say to them will be twisted and put in the worst possible light; otherwise they can’t justify taking up their valuable time talking to you. If you do find them seeming to support your side of things, it could only be because you are already neck deep in the wrong side of any particular issue. They could not exist if they didn’t support the rulers of this world (which rulers do not care about you or anyone else but themselves).
Aside from the problem of context and propaganda, the best defense against scandal is holding an open mindset. That is, assume your every word is being recorded. When you say something which is sure to be controversial, make sure you really do believe it, and why you believe it. Don’t say something to anyone you aren’t willing to back up in public. In particular, this goes for email and IM chatter. Nothing electronic is private. As your influence rises, so does the interest in your private affairs.
