The sacred art of R(eputation) by Carole Guevin

The sacred art of R(eputation)

When your time is done what will be left?

When your x changes of mood, career, or lifestyle are begone... what will be left?

In this age of elevetation of (self) expression to status of sacredness there is something that frightens me out of my wit: the too often overlooked fact that on the web... anything... everything... is RECORDED somewhere.

And it can come back to get you... even haunt you... maybe not now... and then, wish you had not done that or said this.

Bear with me, I'm not having a panic or paranoid attack. I'm just struggling with the fact that although *culture* is defined as the expression of a society, mind you I couldn't care less if your bra broke yesterday or that you are having a huge hangover or you flunked because you partied or that you're in pyjamas or... whatever! Culture is meant to elevate the soul of man not degrade it.

It's not that little moments of our individual lives don't matter - they do. But I DON'T want the trivial moments of my life to DETERMINE who I am and become living truth to our so-called collective psyche.

What I'm saying is that b.s. about who you are is really bad and that, in itself, is quite a given... unless professing egocentrism is a new tag added to a personae... but that is bad too btw the problem with egos is, one will always get hurt while attempting to get close to such... no man is an island... but I err...

Trivializing who you are is prostituting the best of what you are to oblivion. It baffles me non-end that reputation is given so little consideration.

Reputation is not famewhoring.

Reputation is not wanting star-strucked minions.

Reputation is not some foolish social mascara.

Reputation is not a world-domination ambition.

Reputation is not self-elevation.

A favorite saying of mine is that online there is NO witness protection program. Mess up your reputation and it will follow you... forever.

Years bygone when CEOs of companies could take their severance package and walk out of a mess to go mess another company without the public ever being made aware of his/her big time bobos. The omerta (rule of silence) was da rule in those days.

Now with the faculty of exchanging information at the blink of an eye - mess up and you will end up frontpage on some obscure blog whereas a couple of people will gladly start spilling the news around... and?

Nowadays you mess up - you are going to need more than a change of company to try to make up.

Not that we don't do mistakes and regret them immensely.

Not that we don't fail miserably and regret even more immensely.

Not that we don't disappoint others and regret the lost relationships immensely.

Not that we don't fall prey to false perceptions and interpretations that are the plague of our souls...

There is an absolute difference between perception and reality. Yet were I to publish the bits and pieces of trivia it would not be long before a pseudo portrait would form perhaps wasting a life worth of efforts to accomplish and do completely otherwise.

Reputation has to do with self-dignity.

Reputation has to do with a sense of legacy.

Reputation has to do with living responsibly.

Reputation has to do with the real actions and decisions.

Reputation is ALL you + I, have.

Suggested reading: Credibility: How leaders gain and lose it, why people demand it by Jouzes Posner

Privacy through identity control by Anil Dash.

Editorials by Carole Guevin