Aweh, My Dearly Beloved Fellow Ruminants & Groupies
Last week my blog post was banned by Facebook. I’m still awaiting feedback from the Facebook content moderators regarding my egregious transgressions. Today I was going to write about book burnings, censorship, and social media content moderators but until I receive feedback from the all-wise and all-knowing content moderators, I will postpone that blog. So, let me digress. Let’s start with a question. Dearly beloved readers do you have any deficiencies? Well, do you?
If you don’t have any deficiencies, I would like to suggest some appropriate reading material on the topic of narcissistic personality disorder. It’s entitled, “Let’s pretend this never really happened: a mostly true memoir”. For those of you with a short attention span just read the introduction. It’s worth it. Borrowing from this I can say that this blog is going to be totally true except for the parts that aren’t. It will be eighty percent accurate which still rates as a distinction. If you are still convinced you don’t have any deficiencies, may I suggest you move along and don’t bother with the rest of this blog because it doesn’t apply to you.
Still here? Well, then you obviously have at least one deficiency. I have many. Should you perhaps be discreet about your deficiencies? Perhaps you should. If you are lucky other people won’t notice and even if they do, they might be too polite to tell you about them. If they do one very effective approach is to get very offended. How dare they be so judgemental and hurtful. And anyway, they have many more and worse deficiencies than you as well as potential mental health issues, so they are in no position to judge you. Deep down you might know that you have some deficiencies but perhaps the best thing to do is to put them at the very bottom of your sock drawer.
So let me start with one of my worst deficiencies. I am not discreet. For this, I can blame my mother. She did not teach me to be discreet and now it’s too late for me to change. At least that’s what I tell myself. I’m a bit like a dronkie at a wedding no filter and spilling all the beans. This has precluded me from certain professions. My career as a butler would be short-lived. As I made an entrance at the grand dinner, perfectly poised with the wine decanter, only to casually announce to the assembled guests, “Oh by the way I noticed the lady of the house sneaking out of the tool shed late at night followed some minutes later by the groundskeeper”. Isn’t the truth important? In the corporate world, this has led to a few scrapes where I might have had a bit too much to say about the emperor’s clothes as well as his private elevator.
Is discretion, not an artful dance between what we reveal and what we keep tucked away like a squirrel with its winter stash, not the silent superhero of social interactions. At first glance, it seems the perfect skill for navigating the murky waters of human relationships. Being discreet allows one to build trust, protect privacy, and ensure that sensitive information remains secure. Yet, like all superpowers, discretion has its kryptonite—those moments when full disclosure might just save the day or, at the very least, keep things from spiralling into a chaotic mess.
In a world where oversharing is practically a sport, those who practice discretion can be seen as trustworthy, wise, and dependable. A discreet person can be the perfect confidant, the one who knows the juiciest gossip but keeps it under wraps tighter than a drum. They are the ones you want in your corner when navigating delicate matters, whether it’s personal, professional, or something in between. Discretion can also be a powerful tool in professional settings, where revealing too much can lead to unintended consequences. —whether it’s a deal falling through because of loose lips or a career tanking due to an ill-timed confession.
However, discretion is not without its downsides. The very act of withholding can create a distance between individuals, a barrier that can make relationships feel less authentic or open. Can you ever really know a very discrete person? There’s a fine line between being discreet and being evasive, and when crossed, it can lead to mistrust. In some cases, withholding information can cause more harm than good, especially when transparency is needed to build trust or address issues head-on.
Yet, in the grand scheme of things, objective reality remains blissfully unconcerned with our carefully crafted layers of discretion or our moments of radical honesty. The truth, in its rawest form, exists independently of whether we choose to reveal it or cloak it in secrecy. The universe doesn’t bend to accommodate our half-truths or selective omissions; what is simply is, regardless of our attempts to control the narrative. Whether we disclose every detail or keep our cards close to the chest, reality marches on, indifferent to the personal dramas and social dynamics we construct around it. This detachment from objective truth serves as a humbling reminder that our discretion, no matter how skillful, doesn’t alter the facts—only our perception of them. In the end, while discretion can manage perceptions and full disclosure can foster transparency, neither approach changes the fundamental nature of what actually is.
Discretion, while often a virtue, can sometimes act like a velvet curtain that obscures crucial details, leaving everyone in the dark about what’s really going on. When we’re too careful with our words or hold back information, we might unintentionally hinder deeper understanding. Hidden truths, which could clarify situations or lead to better decisions, remain buried. A more open approach, on the other hand, has the potential to illuminate these hidden corners, allowing for insights that discretion might otherwise keep locked away. By holding too tightly to discretion, we risk missing out on the full picture, and in some cases, that lack of transparency can do more harm than good.
I’m working hard on being more discrete. So please feel free to share your deficiencies with me. I will be discreet unless I slip up.
Future blogs might deal with my many other deficiencies but please don’t hold back. You may be indiscreet and tell me what they are. I would like a complete list.
Thank you for all the recommendations, comments, and the love that I feel in cyberspace.
Regards
Bruce
Ruminant Pink Friday 