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Truth, Transparency, and the Senate

[additional-authors]
December 12, 2014

by Rabbi Mark Borovitz

As I am sitting in my office this morning, I am thinking about the Senate Report on CIA torture tactics in light of the principle of Truth and Transparency.

Question: What is too much information when it can harm others?

My Response: This is a difficult question because as someone who lives T’Shuvah each day and is in a constant battle with Mendacity within the world and myself, I find this question haunts me daily. In Judaism and the 12-Step programs, it is crucial to remember that making amends cannot be done at the expense of injuring the people we have harmed or others.

To live in Truth, to me, means that I have to first be in Truth with myself. In this light, ordering the Report is good and Holy. For us to look at our actions and make sure that they are in concert with our principles is a necessary exercise to fight our tremendous urge to engage in self-deception. This, however, does not mean that I tell everyone what I am thinking and doing when it would harm him or her, others and/or myself. This is not the same as hiding! There are thoughts and actions that are necessary to take in order to ensure safety and growth that are not everyone else’s business. I have to be in Truth and Transparent with the people who are my guides so that I ensure I am not practicing self-deception and I don’t have to publish everything in the newspaper, Facebook, etc.

In today’s world I am bombarded with knowledge of what others are doing, every time I open up Facebook or get a tweet, instagram, etc. Sometimes, I feel like a voyeur and it makes me want to take a shower to get clean. Our technology is great when used to help make our world better and self serving and self deceiving when I am only talking about how great I am or what I ate for dessert, dinner, etc.

To be in Truth, I have to discern what is real and where I am right-sized and right-acting as opposed to out of proper measure and acting in narcissistic ways. It is not everyone’s business when my wife and I agree or have a fight. It is not everyone’s business when I am upset about something personal and/or feel slighted by another. It is not everyone’s business when I hurt an individual; this is between the individual and me. As a leader of an organization, I have to be in conversation as to what we are doing well and what we are not doing well. I have to be mindful of revenue/expenses. I have to, most of all, be constantly evaluating how we are fulfilling our goals/commitments to our community as well as our Board. All of these inventories are a necessary part of leadership. Yet, I don’t have to shout on the rooftops if I feel slighted by others, I don’t have to publish when, as a recovery organization, mainstream organizations marginalize my organization and me. I don’t have to call to account publicly each individual that made commitments and didn’t follow through with them. The only reason to do this is self-aggrandizement. This is wrong. It hurts them and could stop others from seeking guidance and help from those I feel slighted by.

The Senate Report should not have been given to the Public. It should be used to call the CIA to account for their actions. It should be used to change the culture and way of doing business. It should not be given to everyone so that our enemies can use it against us. It should not be given out to put innocent people in harms way.

As individuals, as a community and as a country, I believe we have to continue to take personal, communal and countrywide inventory. We have to acknowledge what we do well, what we do not so well. We have to repair our errors and enhance our strengths. By giving aid and comfort to our enemies, we don’t do this. By changing the ways we do business, we do.

This is a deep concept and conversation, which I am only starting in this blog. I am Addicted to Redemption and, because of this addiction, I want to continue to explore this concept with you and others. Please respond with your thoughts and ideas. I look forward to learning more with and from you.

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