Secrets and approval

While trimming my hair today, it occurred to me why it might be easy for me to keep secrets. I like some kinds of social approval, like being recognized as being good at detail-oriented technical creativity and execution, but mostly I have enough confidence in myself that I don't need validation from others, so I am not tempted to make people feel as if we are in some private club together or to seem interesting or whatever by divulging confidences to them. After all, I assume that's why people do it.

Then I got to wondering, if I don't much seek that more general validation, why I still try to keep the front yard neat, etc., and figured it's more about feeling a responsibility to be a decent member of the community, rather than wanting any approving murmurs from neighbors. After all, I suppose I did defend a Satanist on local social media so it's not as if I'm looking for people's votes! That responsibility I feel is not a reasoned thing, it's received values from my childhood.