Talking about “personal space”… I had no idea about it until someone picked up my diary to read. This happened when I was around 16 or 17 years old. Yes, I was a mess and used to imagine dating many cute guys. In reality, they didn’t even know I existed. Before this incident, and before understanding what “personal space” meant, I often invaded my older sister’s personal space. She is six years older than me and has been keeping a diary since she was very young. I can’t remember if she tried to hide her diaries, but I found them anyway! Not only did I read everything in them, but also took notes of things that could be used later to tease her. Besides the jokes, it helped me get to know her better.
Sissy was a passionate writer and a fun-loving girl. She enjoyed dancing, participating in drama, and drawing. Unfortunately, few people knew about these interests of hers. I wish I had saved all those cool drawings she had in her diary! Although I read a lot about her life, there was no mention of her love interests. Perhaps it was something highly classified that she chose to keep to herself (since the diary had already been compromised). However, she did write about me. She has always been a loving and caring sister. I have never seen her jealous of me, although there have been times when I have annoyed her. One such time is documented in her diary.
My Final Thoughts : I read my sister’s diary when I was around 10-12 years old. Needless to say, I didn’t do it to embarrass her in front of her friends or family. At that age, I didn’t know much about personal space or privacy, so I honestly didn’t feel wrong about reading it. Now in my twenties, I am more respectful towards other people’s privacy.
A small piece of advice for my readers: please don’t read somebody’s diary without their consent. Yes, it might be thrilling to get a sneak peek into someone’s mind without their knowledge; however, you may find something disturbing or traumatizing as well as something shocking that could change the dynamics of your relationship with that person. The person who wrote the diary doesn’t owe you an explanation for anything they have written; however, for you, things will never be the same after knowing something that was kept a secret from you. So for your own sanity, you should avoid stepping into such dangerous territories.
Also, remember that people’s emotions and opinions change over time. An entry in a diary is just a snapshot of emotions at the moment it was written; it doesn’t reveal anything about the writer’s evolving thoughts beyond that day. To know someone better, we can learn so much more about each other by being non-judgmental and empathetic listeners.
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