Are We Too "Open"?

I realize that "younger" people will simply dismiss my comments here as the rants of a middle aged man who just doesn't get it. Still, I find it troubling how our society has lost all sense of shame. There seems to be nothing left that people will not discuss openly and in public. For example, I like to listen to sports radio in my car. I find the talk shows entertaining. However, when the commercials come on, I want to blush. It was bad enough when they advertised "the little blue pill", but now they have commercials going all the time advertise help for other "marital" problems. I don't have a son, but if I did, I wouldn't allow him to listen to sports radio because I wouldn't want him to hear, or me to have to explain to him what all these things are. Do we really need to talk about these things on TV and the radio?

However, it is not just commercials. Millions of people seemingly want to open up their lives for all to see. When I was a kid (doesn't that sound like an old man comment?), my sister would hide her diary and threaten my life if I ever attempted to read it. Now, people put their lives on the web actually hoping that everyone will read it. Call me a prude. Call me old-fashion, but I think something is wrong here.

Robert Samuelson wrote an interesting piece on this called A Web of Exhibitionists. Of course, Samuelson is just another middle aged man. So, he probably doesn't "get it", either. Samuelson also wrote a terrific book called The Good Life and Its Discontents: The American Dream in the Age of Entitlement, but that is a different subject for a different day.

I am for openness . . . in the proper setting. Be transparent with your spouse. Find a good small group. Get a good circle of friends and let them in. Let them ask whatever questions they want. Tell them about your lust, your greed, even be honest about how you spend your money. In communicating gospel truth and in creating gospel community, sharing from our lives is critical. However, I am not sure it is healthy to put everything out there for the world to read and then hope the world loves you. The world is not safe. The world will not love you. So, don't go to the world to get only what friends, and ultimately Jesus, can give.