SECRECY & PRIVACY

Many persons have a most naive view about these two 'issues'...those who favor openness in all things...and those who want everything 'secret, if not private' open up a lot of problems and difficulties when they go to either extreme......A more 'practical', 'common-sense' and pragmatic approach is usually better in the long run. The problem of all public access to things is that it does not allow for careful discussion and deep scrutiny of things whereas rendering everything very restricted and exclusive, creates suspicion(s) and exclusiveness(elitism).... A balance is hard to maintain in any case. I bring this up mainly because of a recent request from a friend on facebook about Freemasonry, which reminded me of an incident that took place years ago in Washington,DC, when I was 'working' & 'studying' there. A small group of like-minded, like 'aimed' persons went around the city to see the sights on a particular day. We came to the huge MASONIC building there that has recently been opened up to allow public tours and access for limited time,etc. and where photos have been taken to reveal this inside, which no one could view from outside.....It is a massive, looming building that invites the reason why it is there,so-to-speak. I knew,of course, what it was,although I am not nore ever have been a 'mason' but those with me did not know much about any of this, of course. This was at the time when the riots had all but finished certain sections of the city, making them look like a 'war zone' etc. and various factions, from hippies to militants, etc. were all about,etc. One rather young lady exclaimed to us all,"I don't like buildings that you can't go into!" and then added,"The buildings should be open to the public" and I told her that, some places and buildings you could not go into because the government would not allow it...This was pre-9/ll pre-Bush era DC..... She felt 'put-out' because she could not gain admittance to the building and had no idea why it was there....and such attitudes often lead to a great misunderstanding of all kinds....conspiracy notions, for example. I did not labor on the point that she might well be more upset should someone enter here 'private' space etc. Of course, all such meetings, groups, organizations, etc. do arouse certain feelings in those excluded form whatever is being done, especially taxpayers when school boards, agencies, etc. ignore them and place an agenda that proves expensive for the taxpayer, who already is overburdened by his increasing 'fair-share'...but I shall not go into this aspect of 'secrecy' at this time...it belongs on another blog...