Twenty-six of the greatest lessons I was ever taught.

This is a chapter from The ABCs of Dan M. Wilson.

In a time when communication is readily and rapidly available in the form of emails and text messages, this lesson resonates even more loudly than it did when I received it.

“Never put into writing anything that you don’t want the rest of the world to know.”

We live in the Information Age. Something that takes place in Beijing, China can easily be broadcast out into the Internet and watched later – or even live – by someone in Atlanta, Georgia. Online tools make it easy for anyone with a computer and a connection to send information around the globe in miliseconds. And we’re talking about any information, be it good or bad. Or even ugly.

In third grade I had a crush on a girl in my class. I had penned her a poem – which sadly I remember the opening lines to and, oh, was it cheesy – but was too bashful to give it to her, fortunately. Unfortunately I had written it out on a piece of paper and addressed it to her, folding it in such a way that only gradeschool kids seem to origamically understand…and one of my friends had found it in my room and read it. Laughter, of course, ensued.

He threatened to tell not only my crush but also the entire classroom as well. I was petrified. Even after I got the poem back from him I still had to live with the fear of him revealing my feelings towards the blond haired beauty.

Never put into writing anything that you don’t want the rest of the world to know.

I explained to Mom and Dad my predicament. Mom smiled and told me that perhaps the girl would find it charming. I did not share her enthusiasm on the matter. Dad, however, dished out the line in quotation marks at the beginning of this chapter.

It’s completely true, too. You have no idea who will see something that you have written. Once it is on paper (or in an email or on a text message), it is available for the world to see. It is a written record and will, more than likely, be seen by another set of eyes. Diaries, journals, even password-protected blogs are never safe.

I asked Dad what I could do to prevent things like this in the future. He smiled and gave the obvious answer – to not write down my intimate thoughts any longer – but then gave me something that I’ve tried my best to do ever since.

“You have a voice, use it. Don’t write anything that you would be afraid to say to someone’s face. Just go say it.”

It made complete sense then and it still does to this day. If I want to convey a personal thought or message to someone, the best thing I could do is look them in the eye and tell them straight up.

This lesson has proven invaluable over time.