Secret and Private

Saturday night we got a couple inches of snow. The night before we got just another frosting, one of a series, that are beautifying this winter without requiring the effort and expense of snow removal. Most of the animals are snug in their private lairs. Of the wild animals only the birds and the deer have to gut it out above ground.

If I had constructed my front porch two feet wider I could have parked my car there gracefully. As it is, I can get the Legacy under shelter within two feet of the front door but, well, it does look odd and there is always a moment of high risk in the maneuvering but I acknowledge that, for me, this just adds spice.

My sister said recently that she was never clear on the difference between the concept of ‘private’ as opposed to that of ‘secret.’ I’ve given it some thought.

Two of my newer neighbors are policemen and their families. They built homes at about the same time. Early in their first year here I glided down my driveway and caught them, off duty, using what appeared to be a drug dog to assess my trash. They were standing just off the property watching him work.

Surprisingly, I was amused, not offended. It told me a whole lot more pertinent information about them than my trash was ever going to reveal to Sergeant Rover. Not that I don’t have any secrets from society. I’m human. My neighbors think only their own secrets are benign. They are human too.

Popular wisdom deems ‘secrets’ as referencing a leaking toxic barrel of hidden fact within a relationship of trust while ‘private’ ideally refers to a sanctuary where non-injurious thought and behavior are protected from the presence of uninvited others. We all know that the last decade has decimated our privacy and the dignity that should attend it. Strength of character is needed to maintain a reserve where all is not shared and now, in this age of constant observation, only the thoughts in our head are allowed privacy and the door is being forced even on that most essential human right.

But, of course, it is point of view that determines whether a behavior is, or is not, injurious to others. The rabbits secrete themselves from the foxes. No doubt the foxes would welcome motion activated surveillance cameras trained on the territory of the bunnies but there would not be universal concurrence on this innovation and I doubt if even a dumb bunny would buy into the idea that it was all for their own protection.

No doubt, if asked, the police commissioner would assure us that drug dogs can only be used with due cause.

Is there a law that says you are not allowed to park on your porch? Will my trangression show up on Google Maps? Will someone report me? But that's my private bad weather parking spot! What business is it of yours?