19 May 2006

The right to information...?

What is your right to information in general? What are you supposed to know, and why are you supposed to know? Should you share everything or should you keep it to yourself?

Is it your right as a citizen to know? is it your right as a spouse to know? is it your right as a friend to know? is it your right as a parent or child to know?

What happens when you know or you have a strong feeling that some information is being kept from you? How are you supposed to behave?

Personally, I believe that information should be shared on a private level. Voluntarily. I am against asking questions because I believe that if you have something to tell me, as a friend, spouse, parent, you will tell me. The relationship is such as you should feel comfortable in sharing. This perspective is considered as wrong by some who think that asking is a sign of caring. Perhaps I don't ask because I don't want to be asked. I want to have the opportunity to tell you... But still, I wonder sometimes what is the best thing to do.

On a larger, citizen-wide level,... it will be another post...

The feeling that something is happening under my nose without my knowledge is a bit irritating...

So, would you ask or would you wait to be told?

7 comments:

running42k said...

I think in business information is a currency, something that people either spread around whereas someother people hoard it. Depends on the individual but I know it pisses me off when people don't share information that should be shared.

Heliodore said...

"Personally, I believe that information should be shared on a private level. Voluntarily. I am against asking questions because I believe that if you have something to tell me,"

95% of the things what your friends will tell you are boring for you. IT's better to ask in what you're interrested in.

SNAWSI said...

" Is it your right ... to know? "
--> It's not a question of right to know, I'd say, willingness to know, understanding and acceptance of what you will know.
Nevertheless, sometimes, it's just better to leave things just like they're and not dig deep for information.

"So, would you ask or would you wait to be told? "
--> depends on the importance of the issue or persons related to the information.
If it's someone about whom I really care, or something that's very interesting, I won't wait? I'd try to know what's going on.

PS: " sth's happening under my nose " --> of course it's damn irritating ;-)

Mathieu said...

Good question.

But impossible to answer.
-Important? not?
-Personal? business?
-Do I have any control over what's going on?


regarless, in most situation, I'll ask. Because in most situations, I tell.

:)

Anonymous said...

Really good post... Good questions, hard to answer, as usual...

I'm quite a curious person, so I want to know everything about everything that is anything to me. And I will ask if needed.

But, on another hand, I do believe that it all depends on the level we're at and the sensitivity of the information.

On the company level, there is information that the company executives have to share with their employees, no matter what, and without the employees having to ask.
Information about new or ongoing deals though can be kept secret until the deal is finalized.

On the state level, citizens have the right to know every single thing that's going on, unless it touches the countries security or puts it at risk.

On the personal level, it's more complicated, and more of a matter of trust and feeling comfortable talking and sharing.

Defining whether you have the right to a certain piece of information or not is quite subjective, with a person most of the times believing he has that right, and the other side believing he doesn't.

So in the end it boils down to the kind of relationship that is there, and the person voluntarily providing the information.

But still you have the right to ask, but you won't necessarily get an answer.

ninad said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ninad said...

Accidentally deleted the earlier comment!!

Speaking on "a larger, citizen-wide level", we have a RTI Act or a Right to information act, which makes it mandatory for - initially Government officials, but now also public trusts etc, to reveal any information about their working, be it finances, project info etc.etc.

It is now possible, for instance (and we are doing this) to demand when and who changed the landuse of a plot from a community green plot to, say a Shopping mall. The administration is in terror of this, as it is now possible to sue, very easily, people who either refuse info or (more likely) give random useless bullshit as info.

Personally, I feel that it has changed the way we fight the adminsitration here. But it ws really really hard for this act to get passed in parliament!