<p>
[quote]
Nowadays nothing is private: our culture has become too confessional and self expressive. People think that to hide one's thoughts or feelings is to pretend not to have those thought or feelings. They assume that honesty requires one to express every inclination and impulse.</p>
<p>---Adapted from J. David Velleman, "The Genesis of Shame"
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Assignment: Should people make more of an effort to keep some things private? Plan and write an essay ...</p>
<p>My Essay</p>
<p>Privacy - why do we all crave for it? Should we really keep things confidential? No. While in some cases, privacy is necessary, most of the time we should avoid keeping things to ourselves. Not only can we help others by sharing knowledge and wisdom, candor also makes us feel alleviated - socially and spiritually.</p>
<p>In Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'The Scarlet Letter', Hester Prynne gives birth to an illegitimate daughter. Hester, crazily in love with her philanderer - but nevertheless ignominious of her infidelity to her spouse, decides to take on all the punishment herself. Meanwhile, the father Arthur Dimmesdale, who fears how society will react to this horrible truth, decides to keep it a secret. Every day, he ignores his responsibility as a father and duty as a husband, and continues with his life. However, with each passing day, this secret becomes more and more burdensome to maintain - as Arthur is revoked time and again by his conscience. Every moment feels like agony. His health deteriorates. He feels guiltier and guiltier ... until at last he confesses his crime in front of the entire town. Only then does his pain subside, does his heart find peace. By keeping things private, Dimmesdale had almost tortured his mind into insanity.</p>
<p>Similarly, candor also helps everyone around us. By sharing knowledge and awareness, the world can become a better place for all. For example, in the last century, the inventions of the radio, television, and internet have led to widespread dissemination of intelligence. Individuals from around the globe are now smarter and more literate, and the world is now one step closer to global understanding. By being frank, by being honest, the citizens of Earth are now more closer to each than ever before; there is a mutual feeling of empathy among nations worldwide. In this way, the world has found amelioration through openness - and not through privacy.</p>
<p>It is evident that privacy ought to be avoided whenever possible. By being clandestine, we only hurt ourselves - no one wins. Being surreptitious about his affair almost drove Arthur Dimmesdale insane. Frankness and candor, on the other hand, have provided us with a world of cognizance and understanding.</p>