Secrets

Wow today was long.  First day back after holiday and uff da.  I'm beat. 
Today's chapter of consideration in Living Wicca is "Secrecy."  Cunningham states, "most live double lives."  Boy that's probably true, eh?  Why is that?  Is it self-imposed?  I feel that way sometimes.  I am a very private person.  I don't think that my religion or practice anyone's business but my own.  I wish more felt way.  You don't see a lot of witches out there shaking their evergreens at people insisting they say "Merry Yule not Christmas" or "Yule--the reason for the season" or some other tacky demand for recognition.  To me, it's not relevant to any public policy discussion.  Am I wrong?  Not in my experience.  Although that article in MI about the fliers and origins of Christmas lights as pagan was rather flagrant education being forced upon the public.  *sigh  Please don't start that.  It'll be like when I found the non-Christmas celebrating religious pamphlet on my door at 8am Christmas morning.  Kinda rude ya know? 
So if I believe this, then why is it hard sometimes?  There are those you might want to tell and there are those you think you are protecting by not and yes--there's a fair amount of protecting yourself involved as well.  Therefore, I am resolving myself to at least trying to be honest if the topic comes up in those situations.  I still believe that for others, it is not a topic that needs discussed.  There are places where my personal religious views don't belong because it is a purely personal topic and I am a private person.  I've been a wee bit louder lately.  I need a different avenue to express some of my opinons.  Something that will get a conversation going about things I am interested in.  However, some places just aren't to be privvy.  To those I'd probably state that it's not something that needs to be discussed.  For those who I'd like to tell, I might say, "Sure you want to know?" 
I guess the bottom line for me on secrecy: to what end do I feel a need to share this information?  I hope that if I talk about it I am respectful to what I hear.  I hope I can be the best example of Wicca and harm none with what I say and do.  I hope that my declaration isn't given to further my own agenda or impose my perspective on another because that's not a pure connection to the divine.  I also hope I'm not being asked to incriminate myself with my testimony!  Oy!  That'd totally suck.  But I don't have all the answers and neither does any other religion.