160 words of privacy destroying maddness

It seems that American's are all too willing to give away their rights these days, and the right to privacy is no difference. A British history teacher of mine said that privacy was one of his most privileged rights. Makes sense for Christians to say that: the saints give up "rights" all the time, but the one thing they cling to is privacy. The ability to silently pray and contemplate God are indispensable. The one thing Christian's can't deny themselves is God, but everything else is fair game.

Twitter has been popping up everywhere lately. I don't get it. Why would you embrace the idea of giving up your privacy? Of course it's normal to do that these days. I'm doing it right now, sharing thoughts that even 50 years ago wouldn't have the possibility to reach millions. Facebook and Myspace aren't much different than Twitter, but they do serve some beneficial purposes. But Twitter... what for? Why take the time to narrate your whole day to the world? Why would you want anybody knowing every thought that comes into your head? Even more, why does anybody care about everyone else? I don't doubt that they do, but it perplexes me.

More and more were entering an era where privacy is nearly impossible. Silence is on it's way out too. Even in mass it's something to be feared, as if simply the sounds of shuffling feet and "The body of Christ" would make praying the mass more difficult. The constant music doesn't facilitate praying the mass. People wake up to alarm radios, listen to music in the shower, watch the news while they eat breakfast, listen to the radio on the way to work, listen to the radio on the internet at work, listen to the radio on the way home, complain about their days at dinner, watch nightly news and go to bed. They can't even escape from the noise in a bathroom or elevator! Even when your in the middle of nowhere you have your ever convenient iPod to keep your ears filled.

Privacy is going to be no different. The masses will narrate every moment of their day on Twitter. You'll be able to update it on your phone. And when your not typing, you'll be reading what the rest of the world typed. It will be 160 characters of privacy destroying madness. People will forget how to be alone. They'll scare themselves. We already have self-check out lanes and online shopping. The man who lived on the top of a mountain who nobody ever saw was portrayed as frightning in movies, but now it's a reality, except we live in suburbs.