The magic behind secrets
And why concealment is the key
I read an article in The Hindu newspaper yesterday titled ‘The Arrogance of the ignorant’ in the editorial page by Aseem Shrivastava and Abhinav Gupta. The authors described in detail the ill state that our nation is facing where in the name of progression we are wiping out acres of bio-diversity.
If you wish to read the same, you can click here but what interested me was their introductory paragraph on bio-piracy.
… When Western drug and pharma corporations send their scouts to remote regions in India to look for herbs to patent, the scouts do not consult top Indian doctors or scientists first. They smuggle their way into jungles inhabited by Adivasis where, in a moment of weakness, an elderly woman adept in the healing arts may divulge a secret or two. Later, the companies might test the herb in their labs and find that the woman’s claims were correct. This has long been the staple of bio-piracy. …
What happens subsequently is that we capsize the forest, manufacture in bulk for the civilized public and create a demand for the healing potion. Well, all for the good of the majority right? Except that now it is being exploited to a non — renewable extend.
There is a lot to think about from this simple yet eye-opening instance where mankind opens up a secret for all. Sometimes it is best to let the world not know about that secret of yours, or maybe you should respect another persons secret and not persuade further. Let us take a deeper look.
Secrets create a sense of importance that we earnestly respect
When there is a fact that only a few are aware of, it makes each one of them think why is it concealed to just them. Maybe it is because they are working on the next game changing technology, or are at risk of loosing an advantage in the market. What ever the reason may be, secrets elevates us to a level of deeper understanding and it becomes a part of our life.
I remember pestering my aunt to tell me the secret project that Apple was working on last summer. Though at that moment she said a firm no, months later when Apple watch with ECG scan was launched, she informed us with understandable pride that she was working with the bio-tech team during those months. The secret made her attempts all the more meaningful and the final applause made it worthwhile.
Secrets protect and value what might otherwise easily be disregarded
Some details may seem trivial to many but essential to a few. Keeping these as secret may bring in a sense of value which fuels their actions even if the world does not think highly of it.
I remember my mother fondly reminiscing the time when my father praised by sisters painting when she was a toddler. “Very beautiful!” he would keep telling my overly pleased sister while it was evident to the rest that it was not anything extraordinary in it for the age. Yet, the parents understood that they had to respect the work and possibly any other attempts she made in life moving forward to build a solid foundation for her confidence.
The alternate scenario where people move about without batting an eye would leave anyone feeling worthless. Secrets prevent the possibility of seeking external validation for your works and makes one more self reliant to carry out actions.
Secrets help you reduce external pressure to work flow
People say you should never tell your goals to others and there is a reason behind it. It is because once you sell away your secret, it becomes of no value and your mind gets tricked in to being satisfied at the applauds. But little do people realize that the applauds are just for the idea, not the end product. Some of us get easily swayed so secrets help avoid falling for that trap.
It could be the fact that you are preparing for studying abroad. Now, there is no ground breaking news here. It is just your future plan. But now that everyone knows, internally you won’t regard it highly. Also people might come frequently and ask you how the progress is. Even if it is good, you might start becoming cautious about future queries and it could have an impact in your future as the unnecessary overhead in the mind still remains. Instead, if you kept it as your secret project and taped it away from the lime light, your mind will have some privacy and your actions would become more meaningful.
Secrets do not mean you distrust the rest
This is a misconception I had for quite some time. You do not have to be transparent all the time. You do not owe an explanation to those around you for every single detail of your life. It might feel like you are cheating someone by hiding some facts from them, or you might feel bad being kept out of the loop from someones secret plans. I have been at both ends of the spectrum and can say that it is not easy to accept it.
For a long time, I tried to be open to everyone around me by deliberately informing them of every detail I was working on even if they did not ask. This was because when ever I succeeded, I could glimpse a face of sorrow and disappointment for not being informed earlier about it. Even when my friend got placed in a top reputed company, I felt a bit low for not being aware of how well she was preparing for those few months. But then when I put in some thinking I realized:
- I never asked her previously
- She probably did not want to be consistently asked about progress or compared with someone else
- She did not owe any explanation to me to begin with
I repeat — it is not being selfish. It is called valuing one self. If someone really wanted to prepare for that company placements, they could have searched on the internet themselves. You are not the guardian of those who are jealous of your progress, and thus you are not responsible for their failure. In facts, they were naive and short sighted to not effectively manage their time. Leaking out your progress to them would be an easy way out for them rather than to personally take an effort to improve.
Don’t destroy your friends unknowingly by overly helping them. Keeping them out of your secrets might be a way to make them realize you are up to something and urge them to get back on track to keep up. This is a competitive world where those who turn back to lift up comrades tend to find no one to save themselves in the end. It is important to care for oneself so that you can care for the rest tomorrow.
So these are the few thoughts I had about secrets and how it can empower you to make a change in this world. I hope it urges you to keep a few secrets and leverage it to be more productive and get work done.
