Privacy, Communication, and Fears - Back in seventh grade, for some reason our Social Studies class was way ahead of the scheduled curriculum, and so our instructor gave us a book to read "for fun" to use up some time. She assigned "The Ship Who Sang" by Anne McCaffrey. One of the plot elements popped into my memory last night while on a phone conversation.

The premise of the book is that in this science fiction space-travel universe, certain ships have human brains as part of their make-up. If a child is born with extreme physical handicaps, and they test high enough in intelligence and aptitude for the job, they're raised and trained to be blended in with the space ship technology and grow up learning to "see" through the cameras on the ship, "hearing" through the microphone pick-ups, and "moving" by controlling robotic elements or flying through space with the engines of the ship. The ship is paired with a human partner (brain and brawn).

There's one encounter where they meet with some aliens that essentially don't have bodies (I seem to recall the planet was a gaseous giant), and they're advanced enough to have visitors end up having an "out-of-body experience," to travel around and visit the aliens. The piece of the story that stuck with me was that there was no sense of hidden or private knowledge, since these "people" basically "merge" with one another mentally [remember, they don't have physical bodies]. The heroes of the story have to deal with what this full merge is like, versus the isolation of being in a physical body and being unable to share thoughts completely with another person.

[Now of course, I might be remembering the book inaccurately, but that's not the point of my tale.]

The reason I thought of this story last night was that there was a classic misunderstanding with some friends. Person A is married to Person B, and A asked me for some relationship and/or life advice because he knows quite a bit about my divorce and the issues I've lived through. He thought I'd have some helpful tips on life. I was chatting with Person C, and I said I had a good time chatting with A and I got to actually share some life advice. Person C was on the phone with Person D, and said that I had a good time chatting with A and I got to share some life advice. Person D was immediately worried that I really knew more about A, B, and D, and went to A with the stressful worry. A emailed me, told me D heard the C heard from me that A talked to me about B and A and D... and now A was worried there was a huge breach of privacy and that gossip and rumors might happen.

Several phone calls later revealed that A never told me any details; I never told C any details; C never knew that D knew any details, and C never told D any details. Poor dear was worried over nothing, and then several emails later I got thankful apologies for jumping the gun.

But all this was just to say when I was on the phone with C, he suggested it sure would be nice if everyone always knew everything and nothing was ever hidden, because there couldn't be any miscommunication at all.

I'm not sure I agree with him.

But now I want to go and re-read "Ship Who Sang" to enjoy the encounter where everyone had full mental disclosure, and all the issues they had to deal with once they knew each others' minds so fully.

Some days I think I agree. It would be nice to know more of someone else's mind. Other days, I know that my privacy and hidden thoughts help me not face my fears. And that was the point that C was making: If things weren't hidden, there wouldn't be fears. I'm not sure if I agree with him, but it sure was interesting to ponder.
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1st Night of Chanukah - Tonight is the first night of Chanukah, and I'm going to head over to the synagogue with friend(s) since I've never been before. I have no idea what to expect, but I'm sure I'll enjoy the dinner and community.

My dear friend Shoshana is off at college and she doesn't have a chanukiah to light (that's the menorah for Chanukah). So I'm going to take a photo for her and email it every day, to share the holiday with her. I consider her my "littlest sister" and it's fun to be a big sister this week for her. She'll be home in a few weeks again, so I'll see her for New Years.

I may post the photo here on the journal every day, and hopefully you'll all enjoy me as we light candles together.

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Today's Blessing That I'm Thankful For: Person D, I love you dear. I hope you're doing okay today. *smooches*