Not my style.
I talk about my family at work. I've shared vulnerabilities with professional colleagues. But opening up? Nope, not my style. I'm more interested to have colleagues focus on my work, on the outcomes. Yet, I'm doing an experiment. As a social scientist I have to dive in and show a little leg. Or something to that effect.
Today I shared a status update indicating that one of my parents had a serious medical procedure. Kind comments came in via email and the social networking site. But, it raised a question that I hadn't really considered. My wife commented, a childhood friend offered prayers, another friend from Raleigh offered a pick me up and then a close friend who I originally met professionally some 15 years ago sent an email. The obvious dawned on me: Family, work and social circles have all overlapped. Social scientist perhaps, rocket scientist I'm not.
We know that an authentic self is critical to good mental health. A person who is essentially the same in various circumstances has less dissonance and more happiness. On the other hand, holding back a little is nice. Finding the right balance in a interconnected world is a central challenge. It is certainly an issue for all of the young adults trying to enter the workforce after posting everything, with everyone, all the time. These are people who have come of age most recently. But, I think it affects us all. Today I also found out that I'd been tagged in photos from my second and fourth grade elementary school classes. Cute? Possibly. A professional image? Questionable. Is that what I want to be out on the Internet for the next person who comes in to interview with me? And, what about that cache of college photos of my own?
These are the mysteries of sharing a life online. In the spirit of divulging more than normal -- it is an experiment after all -- I ask for your well wishes. Tonight my sister's husband shipped out for Iraq. She has a strong face on. Her teenage sons will wait -- and change immensely in the next 13 months -- for their father to return home safely. But what did their family buy before his departure? It was a new laptop for dear old Dad. My brother-in-law will have access to email and the Internet from a war zone. The GI Bill dramatically changed the social fabric of America in the decade after WWII. What will an interconnected military force stationed abroad, and far from friends and family, do to society in the next decade?
USMC Master Sergeant Hitzhusen, may God be with you.
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As always, Kent, I am impressed with your creativity and good communication skills. After the 40 days, I think I see an best seller in the works! Best always, Dave
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