by Salamander Davis | July 24th, 2010
You’ve probably seen the Dos Equis billboard with a quote from the world’s most interesting man that states, “the bulk of one’s life should be off the record.” Every time I see this I question myself. Up until the last few years, I’ve always kept my secrets and the inner rumblings of my mind to myself. The concept of posting a Facebook status updating my “friends” on my whereabouts, actions, or opinions made me want to vomit. I’d spend three hours debating whether I wanted to say “Go Cards!” on my wall.
Then something happened and I wrote a 50-page document on my inner most thoughts and feelings and proceeded to print and mail it to thirty-five people. Over time I’ve gradually adopted Dave Egger’s philosophy (posted on the right of the blog). His point is that even if I give you intimate details, that I have given you nothing. You do not own my soul or truly know me. By the time I have written something and someone else has read it, I’ve already changed, “shed my skin like a snake” and have moved on to another mental/physical state. For the most part, I believe this, but when I see the XX billboard I begin to doubt.
When I pass the world’s most interesting man I wonder, “should I be more like him? Should I be mysterious and leave the happenings in my head up to conjecture?” I worry that I am sharing too much information about my life. There is no more mystery about Salamander Davis. Everyone knows who I am. My weaknesses, my faults, my tendencies are all open for the world to see. The more I write, the more transparent I become, the more predictable are my actions.
Though I’d like to think that when I write, I learn, and in turn gradually change, improve. But to Mr. Equis’s point, I could do the same learning in the privacy of my personal journal and still keep the majority of my life off the record.
You can do lots of things in private. Developing the self-confidence to put your honest self in front of others isn’t one of those things.
Good stuff. Looking forward to reading more from you.