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 %DILEMMA DRAW BOUNDARY BETWEEN PUBLIC PRIVATE LIFE+950219
   %CONSENSUS CONSEQUENCE CAUSE EFFECT RIGHTS NEEDS 950219

     Many  of  our most difficult dilemmas pertain to  the
development   of a public consensus about how to  publicly
draw helpful boundaries between our public and our private
lives.

     The  following considerations suggest the  nature  of
some of the difficulties which we encounter:

     1.  If some person's behavior  ultimately has natural
public consequences,  is that behavior "public"  by virtue
of its ultimate public consequences?

     2.  If some solo  behavior on the part of one  person
is  secret and has no demonstrable public  consequence, is
such  solo  behavior  private behavior in  spite  of  some
people's  curiosity about the solo behavior of the  person
involved.

     3.  If some dual behavior on the part of  two persons
is  secret and  has  no  demonstrable public  consequence,
is  such  dual  behavior  private  behavior  in spite   of
some people's  curiosity  about  the dual behavior of  the
two persons.

     4.  If  some  trio  behavior on  the  part  of  three
persons   is  secret  and  has  no   demonstrable   public
consequence,    is  such  trio behavior private   behavior
in  spite   of  some  people's curiosity  about  the  trio
behavior of the three persons?

     5.  Does  public  curiosity about the solo,  dual  or
trio behavior of persons of itself make their behavior  be
public    behavior,     even   if  there  is   no    other
demonstrable public consequence of their behavior?

     6.  How  soon  must  there  be  demonstrable   public
consequences   due to some behavior,  for the behavior  to
be unquestionably "public" behavior.

     7.  Must  public  consequence of  behavior   actually
occur  before  the  behavior is to  be  considered  public
behavior,   or  is it enough for the public to  reasonably
(or fearfully) expect the consequences to occur?

     8.  Is the difference between "private"  and "public"
behavior   to  be defined in terms of formal  legislation,
or  in   terms  of  informal moral  codes  which  are  not
formalized by legislation and formal judicial procedures.

     9.  Is  behavior which is intended (perhaps  naively)
to  be  purely private behavior always private,   even  if
there are ultimately public consequences?

     10.  Is  secret  behavior  which is intended to  have
eventual public consequences thereby public behavior?

     11.  Can  dishonest  behavior ever be  truly  private
behavior?

     12.  Can truly honest behavior ever be fully public?

     13.  Can behavior which is driven and guided by  fear
ever be truly private behavior?

     14.  Can  truly  fearless  behavior  ever  be   fully
public?

     15.  If  the consequences of some behavior cannot  be
predicted  with   reasonable confidence,  can  we  clearly
label it as either public or private behavior.

     16.  What  price should the public be willing to  pay
to  defend  the rights of its members to engage  in  truly
private forms of behaviors?

                                                                                                                               
                         (c) 2005 by Paul A. Smith in      
                    (On Being Yourself, Whole and Healthy)  
                                                                                                                               
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