I've been doing a LOT of thinking as to why the issue of transparency is so compelling to me. There are a number of reasons, but the simplest boils down to three words: I dig truth.
So what is "truth?" Truth to me is when words are spoken or actions taken that leave no doubt those words/actions could not have been contrived. In actor speak (I was an actor for fifteen years), you're, "living in the moment." Typically this rawness/realness is coupled with intimacy in some fashion, but not of the physical kind. The moment is intimate because it resonates with you--you, personally, and stops you in your tracks. We're busy people these days, and for something to be so compelling that it causes you to halt your actions and curb your agenda is pretty powerful.
Here's three examples that stick in my mind from 9/11. Transparency during Tragedy:
I lived in NYC during 9/11. I worked at a church on the upper east side and at the time we didn't have a TV in the church so we got all of our notices via radio and spotty Internet reports (spotty meaning jerky video due to our slow connection).
Obviously there were a myriad of things that affected me that day and for weeks to come. But three things stand out, and although not directly related to transparency in business/online, they resonate with me in regards to transparency.
*First is how many reporters that day cried or stumbled over their words. This is not meant as a criticism, by the way. Quite the opposite. Understanding the need to maintain professional decorum and report the news in an objective manner, I can't tell you how much I appreciated when journalists let me see the terror/horror/pathos they felt during their reports. I didn't want a reporter-tron listing facts from the site of this devastation; I needed an FDR fireside chat, a portrait of something I understood offering comfort by the nature of the fact that they were human and mystified by the chaos (quite literally) swirling about them.
Their behavior in this regard was transparent to me. They were doing their best to do their jobs but at times couldn't hold back their emotion. I found this comforting. I found this to be real. It wasn't contrived--they were living in the moment, and that took courage and bravery. And I appreciated them for it.
*The second thing about the 9/11 era that reflects transparency was how open we New Yorkers were to one another. I lived in Manhattan for a decade, so I can say with authority that you're trained early on in city living to not look at one another when you walk on the street, protect your stuff, be wary of others, etc. Pretty standard, 'humans living close to each other in one big space' kind of stuff.
That all went away during 9/11. For one thing, seeing a huge plume of smoke billowing from downtown made it impossible to return to normalcy for at least three weeks. Secondly, nobody gave a crap about anything except knowing their loved ones were alive/safe and trying to help the firefighters and rescuers at Ground Zero accomplish the goal of saving those loved ones. I nodded to people and they nodded back and our eyes actually met. I openly wept when walking by billboards festooned with the smiling faces of people we all knew were likely dead.
We had our veil of urbanite complacency ripped from its hinges to expose the raw veneer of humanity that resides within all of us. Said more simply, we were scared shitless and looked to each other for comfort. Race didn't matter, class didn't matter. Although utterly tragic and an event I would wish away in a heartbeat, it was also a precious and beautiful era where NYC and the U.S. came together and took care of each other.
*The final thing about 9/11 and transparency that sticks out in my mind was how many people starting talking about religion and faith issues more openly. Granted, I worked at a church, but I think that gave me a better perspective on realizing how many people were receptive to discuss issues of life and death when they had the potential of an immediate afterlife so clearly staring them in the face.
I don't mean to prosletyze my Christianity here, by the way--I'm simply stating a fact. I've never experienced a time in my life when people were so open to hearing about Jesus or eternal life without a pall of skepticism or rushed disinterest keeping them from even considering spiritual issues.
That was transparent to me. People really searching for answers that weren't reliant on money or career. Or even family. People asking big questions and wishing for healing answers.
I Dig Truth
These examples are extreme, but should demonstrate my point. When is the veil lifted in your life or work? When do you get to experience your true nature in all its grime and glory?
Still figuring it out, but transparency is a key to all of this.
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