Living in Transparency

The recent news about Herman Cain and Joe Paterno have got me thinking. Thinking about my past. I have to wonder if there is some event in my past that will come up and bite me someday. I am certain that I have never tried to stick my hand up a lady’s skirt as Cain is accused of doing and I am doubly certain that I do not know of any unreported child abuse that Paterno has confirmed not reporting. So I think I am clean of any of the really horrible potential bombs that can explode in my life.
But that does not mean that I am squeaky clean. Like just about everyone I have done things in my life that I am not proud of. There are events that if they came to light have the potential of embarrassing me. (And no I am not going to tell you in this public forum. They are embarrassing remember.) I have tried my best to live a good and moral life but I am human and at times I have failed. Fortunately my faith has helped me to deal with the guilt that can come with those failings but I have to recognize that they are there nonetheless. Sometimes, as I think it was in the case of Paterno, a person may not fully realize how much he or she has failed until the event blows up. Paterno probably had forgotten about the molestation until it became public. This is not to excuse him but I can see how this has taken him by surprise and now has greatly damaged his legacy.
What if we lived our lives as if our worst actions can be made public at a later stage of our lives? That is not a pleasant thought to consider but if we ever become famous it is a wise thought to have. If we lived our lives this way would it change what we are doing right now? If you would change your life then why not go ahead and make those changes? It is a kind of selfish motivation to not do bad because you are afraid someone will one day “out” you but if this means that one less spouse is beaten or one less child is abused then I will take it.
So I challenge all of us, myself included, to live as if people are watching and will report on you someday. I hope your worse sins are never revealed to the rest of the world. But who knows? Maybe one day they will be.

Sincerely,

Trouble-Maker