Transparency  - The Sham Of It All

Everyone knows the meaning of transparency; it’s having the property of transmitting light or being fine and sheer enough to be seen through, as with a clean window or lens of some kind. A second definition, however, refers to being free from pretense or deceit, being frank and readily understood. It is characterized by visibility or accessibility of information, especially concerning business practices. It is telling it “like it is” so that one can see and comprehend.

Unfortunately, in today’s world, the word transparency has lost all validity. It has. It used to mean something. We could count on it. In the past, transparency truly was the condition of being transparent and clear. If someone was being transparent, he or she was open, candid, and straightforward. A person who was transparent could be held accountable. We could believe that individual. What happened?

Poor “transparency” had been overused, misused, altered, abused, and even bantered about to the point of oblivion. It’s been battered to a bloody pulp. Yet, folks are still espousing its credibility. They are holding on to poor, shredded “transparency”, its pieces stuffed in a plastic bag, and promising, “Yes, it’s here. Really. It is. Maybe it’s a little roughed up, but all you have to do is sift through the scraps here and piece it back together. You can do that, can’t you?”

Yeah, right. I’m sorry, but I simply don’t have the energy anymore to accept the promises, especially from politicians, that transparency is still intact. In countless arenas, especially in government, individuals champion the idea of transparency, even advocating it as a principle upon which they and those around them stand proud. I say, “Malarkey.”

Every day we hear the supposed leaders of our country spouting off. “We are being absolutely transparent. Transparency is at the core of our party, our country. We are committed to transparency. We are being transparent for the good of the people.”

 Really? Then why are new revelations being released ad nauseam? Why are retractions, recusals, disclaimers, denials, deceptions, alleged forgotten facts, and plain old fabrications of the truth running rampant? To those in the midst of this travesty, I say, “Shame on you for creating such a sham.”

Like many other people I know, I have grown weary of the corruption that is epitomized in the rape of blessed transparency. It keeps me awake at night, puts me a little on edge, and makes me ache from my heart on out. I don’t believe I’m asking too much of those who represent me, and those who act on the behalf of other citizens, to remember the ethics and values upon which the United States of America was founded. I have looked back at the past (not all of it “pretty”, but some of it absolutely stunning) so that I can envision the future, one unburdened by deceit, lies, and the overthrow of true transparency. I may be deluding myself but, again, I don’t think it’s too much to ask.

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