If you want something kept secret, don’t tell anyone. Make no mention of it to a single soul — not your mother, your wife, your best friend. Don’t write it down, type it out, post it to the Internet.

Keeping things private starts at home.

If you do something or say something, accept the consequences.

I saw a disclaimer on a blog recently saying something — and I’m misquoting like no one’s business here — along the lines of, “This is my blog, it’s not for your eyes, so if I say something about you that offends you, you’re not allowed to get pissed off about it.”

WHAT?

Of course I am! And if I get pissed off at you, to your face, you’d best be prepared to suck it up and take it. If you don’t want me getting pissed off about something you said — don’t fucking say it. It’s about that simple.

This entire society seems more and more these days about absolving themselves of blame, of placing resposibility elsewhere, of being untarnished and perfect.

Fuck that.

It starts on a personal level — blaming the dissolution of friendships and romances and work conditions on anyone other than yourself. You point the finger elsewhere, hoping you can remain looking good. You convince yourself that you can’t possibly be wrong, reinforcing negative behavior. Mistakes are repeated, again and again — but it’s always someone else’s fault, no matter how many times it happens and involves you.

Oh, and then it grows, until it’s corporations and governments and gigantic entities pointing the finger.

Katrina, FEMA, Nagin, Blanco, Bush, anyone?

Accountability is not a dirty word, but it must have too many syllables for the common man.

And so when people let their secrets out in the open, it immediately becomes someone else’s fault. But just think: if you had kept your mouth shut in the first place, no one else would know.

And then there’s the idea of living and speaking to never have any regrets. I have very few skeletons in my closet, and I like it that way. I’m happy with this blog, no fears of anyone finding it, because there’s nothing on here to hide. Sure, there’s plenty of stuff that no one knows about – but only because they didn’t happen to hear it. Certainly not because I didn’t want them to.

Things I want kept hidden stay hidden. Bodies and all.