The making of a ‘publizen’, Linton Weeks, the Washington Post
A culture of blogs and camera phones is shaping a generation that lacks a sense of privacy.

Google Dave Feinman.

Go ahead. Really. He wants you to.

Type his name as one word and you will soon know a lot about him — through his home page and blog on MySpace.com and the Web site that bears his name. He’s 27, engaged, Jewish, a Gemini and graduate student at the University of Central Florida who likes Beavis and Butt-head. He will soon be interning in the office of Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Boca Raton. Coincidentally, Wexler’s office is the subject of a TV documentary series that premieres this month.

“I don’t put anything on MySpace that I wouldn’t say to the face of anyone I meet,” says Feinman. The Internet is “a very good way to express my feelings about politics or personal things.”

Feinman is a primo example of an emerging archetype: the very public citizen. A “publizen.”

[read the full article here]

Globalization. Technology.

An era of instant and mass communication.

And the emergence of millions of new publizens that apparently know not the meaning of privacy.

I’ve been one of countless others who potentially live in the public eye. In fact, I even posted four months ago about how one can google Dan Park and find me among the numerous others who share my name. I’m not too different from the guy mentioned in the article above. =)

However, I think that being a publizen has diminished the value and depth of my real and personal relationships.

I suppose one reason that I’ve written and shared thoughts both shallow and deep through such a public medium was part of an effort towards transparency as I wanted to live a life marked not by inconsistency but in which the very reason for my being was visible.

I think I’ll always remember this first year as a working professional and the tumultuous ride that I endured through the trials that accompanied the drastic change from college to young adult life.

It’s been an interesting journey to date through a few  seasons of life and I know that the road ahead has numerous peaks and valleys through which I must venture. I think I’ve learned some valuable lessons in the past year that will assist me through future struggles. And if somehow I ever find myself back at the Snafu-Bar in the years to come, I know that I just need to clear my vision and return to Him as these are the moments when my character is being forged.

More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. – Romans 5:3-5 ESV

If I can just remember that no matter how bad things seems to get and just remember that God promised to complete what he started, I’ll be able to persevere through anything.

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. – Philippians 1:6 ESV

The past year as a publizen has consumed a lot of time and energy which I think could’ve been diverted to better uses. As much as I’ve enjoyed sharing my thoughts and writing this past year, I’ve not been a good steward of my time and have decided to  take a break and discontinue the use of this site.

It’s been a whooping 400 days since my first post and it’s been fun while it lasted. But let’s just say that the sun has set on this chapter of my life. See you around! =)

One of my favorite sunsets ever. =)

For those visiting from around the world, Please enjoy the pictures that may have brought you here. Many are a testament of the magnificence and greatness of the Creator of the Universe and I pray that they will lead you closer to knowing Him.

And for those who’ve joined me on this ride thus far, Thanks for reading (or at least looking at the pictures =P) through my often verbose posts and being a part of my world during this portion of the journey!

The End