November 20, 2008
Mum's the Word
More and more I’m finding myself at meetings where I’m told things that must remain confidential, or that only half of the story can be told. There’s on going investigations, code names for prospective companies or contracts that are being negotiated. I can’t make casual conversation about situations without first stopping to think, ‘Did that conversation take place behind closed doors, or am I at liberty to discuss it openly?’ I laughingly tell people that I probably know just enough information to be dangerous. I do find that I have a whole new appreciation for those who ask for confidentiality and for those who can keep a confidence. On numerous occasions Jesus said, “See that you don’t tell anyone… See that no one knows about this. [Jesus]…warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.” Certainly Jesus’ ministry was affected by those who kept a confidence…and by those who did not.
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Gail;
-----Your public service has brought you into a practical contact with human nature. Just this morning a principle that I first began to understand in my twenties surfaced again: as it goes in the mind, so it goes among man, acceptance is less by the integrity of the principle than it is by the mass of the thought. It certainly should not operate that away in the Christian mind and among the Christian brotherhood. But the darkened mind of man follows pathways beaten out by the more predominant set of ideas. The more times an idea crosses the mind and the more sibling and cousin ideas it can attach to, the more it becomes accepted as true. The more people who experience the same attachment to the same set of ideas, the more that set of ideas becomes accepted among them as social truth.
-----This all is born by the extreme difficulty inherent in discerning the truth from falsehoods. Intricate details must not only be discovered and verified as true, but their proper weave must also be found before the broader fabric of their implication emerges. Therefore, careless, impatient minds just attach to what sounds good and is heard often. Subjecting sensitive details to the more careless minds during either the discovery or weaving processes can certainly produce a flawed fabric.
-----Whether justice is the objective (as in your political situation) or godliness (as amongst the brotherhood of believers), the hearts seeking what is right must be careful with the process of creating their goods, or disastrous results are certain to follow. Witness the upcoming inauguration of President-elect Obama, the historic crowd predicted, and the four years of devastating policies certain to follow, all born of uniformed pop-thought. Thank you for keeping private what should remain private, exposing what should be exposed, and knowing the difference.
Love,
Steve Corey
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