Towards a Life Transparent

By Walt F.J. Goodridge

Special to the Saipan Tribune
Originally published: February 11, 2009


The only way to take control of your life, raise your standard of living and move beyond merely surviving is to create your own unique product or service that you offer to increasing numbers of people in exchange for the things of value that you desire. This simple formula applies to countries as well as people. A self-sufficient economy has its own products or services of value to export to the world. Similarly, a self-sufficient individual has something of value to exchange in the global marketplace. That thing of value is based on your natural talent, skill, or interest—in other words, your passion!

My House of Glass

In the middle of the desert
far away from where eyes roam
I built myself a house of glass
and this I call my home

No brick to block my vision
and no walls to stop the light
No steel to hide the moon
and I can see the stars at night

My friends who come to visit
think it strange but never say
While others simply ask me
why I’d want to live this way

They ask,” What of your privacy?”
or, “Doesn’t it get hot?”
Or “Don’t the neighbors bother you,
or laugh and point a lot?”

It’s not about the prying eyes
or what’s inside to hide
It’s all about my access
to the earth and sky outside

There’s nothing that I am
that I’m afraid to let you see
These walls of glass connect me
Oddly, too, they keep me free

This claim of separation
is a fallacy we’re sold
If finger-pointing frightens
Here’s a truth you must be told:

No walls can stop man’s judgment
for men fear both seen and veiled
And not by what men see
should you be now or ever jailed

Toward a life transparent
do I move despite my fear
My house of glass allows me
to make sure I see things clear!

My friends who know me may recognize this reference to a picture of a two-story glass house on my wall that represents my dream home. Of course, there is more to the concept. The glass house, you see, represents transparency, both literally and symbolically. It represents truth. It represents a life in which you remove every veil or curtain that would obscure the light from without as well as the light from within.

I mentioned in last week’s column in my letter to Rashaa that the truth shall set you free. Imagine how free your life would be if you lived it as an open book. There would be no need to hide. Everyone would know who you really were. You wouldn’t need to lie about the things you do or believe. No one could blackmail you. No one could control you. You would live fearlessly.

Imagine if you formed and lived all of your relationships on the basis of transparency, truth and full disclosure. How liberating would it be to live without deception? How freeing would it be not to have to cover up your deeds because you promised something you had no intentions of delivering?

Yes, transparency is the key to freedom, because transparency is the ultimate truth. I can see clearly now.

Visa Waiver comments


Do you have a concern about the pending visa waiver law? Make your voice heard! Please note that public comments must be submitted by March 17, 2009. You must reference Docket #: USCBP-2009-0001 in your letters. Send letters to:

Border Security Regulations
Branch, Office of International Trade,
Customs and Border Protection, Mint Annex,
799 9th Street, NW.,
Washington, DC 20001.

Also, submit your comments and concerns online at www.change.gov, www.whitehouse.gov, www.regulations.gov, and www. dhs.gov. The more the better.

Note: For more tips on overcoming your fears, acting on your ideas, changing the game, and creating a passion-centered lifestyle, visit www.passionprofit.com!


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Until next week, remember, success is a journey, not a destination!