Transparency

By Maria Corse

Understanding that an organization has a level of responsibility to be truthful, completely honest and provide full transparency is universally acknowledged as due course. In the real world, however, that is not necessarily the case. Many times we are presented with an illusion of process, an illusion of truth, and an illusion of transparency, because many businesses and organizations understand two things: as a culture we have a really short attention span, and we only see what we want to see. Many of us are quite willing to be hoodwinked into believing something that is a few steps away from the truth.

We have all heard the term “white-washing;” well now we have “green-washing,” “local-washing,” and, get this, “pink-washing,” That's right, businesses, organizations and even government officials know that one way to please consumers and citizens is to provide what appear to be the desired messages or goods.

Only most of us don't look deeply enough to discover that in most cases (yes, there are exceptions), these promises are an illusion. My mother used to tell us, “if something looks or sounds to good to be true, it usually is.” If you think that big box store cares more about the environment, our community, or its workers than its bottom line, you are sadly misinformed. The same goes for any other organization that has a board of trustees, lobbyists, or shareholders to satisfy. Profits and power often speak louder than our disapproval.

This whole conversation does not exclude smaller entities that create procedural illusions meant to satisfy or appease us. This has become the unfortunate outcome of our collective desire for sound bites and feel-good propaganda.

We promise to counter all of the above with a vow to continue to build Deep Root Center with no hidden agendas or illusions. What you see is what you get, warts and all. We are real people making real change and honest mistakes. No, we are not perfect, nor do we seek to be. Some would say we are honest to a fault. I would agree; that is our intent. Look behind the transparent curtain, no wizards, and no cards up our sleeve, just pure and honorable intentions to help kids realize their awesome potential. We are here to serve.

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