Backstory
An adult in my family told me a secret. It was something that no one else knew. I could tell that it took a burden off her shoulders to do so. But over the years, that secret became part of the baggage I carried. It got me to look at the issue of secrets and the duty they incur.
Secrets
Remember what it was like when we were kids when there was a secret going around? If you knew the secret, you were an insider. Someone really trusted you. If you did not know the secret, you were on the outside looking in. I can remember being obsessed with wanting to know that childish secret.
As an adult, you may not be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever. For adults, secrets have obligations. An adult who tells you something they want no one else to know puts a big responsibility on you. Do you keep the secret no matter what? What if you feel that the secret is wrong? Do you tell the secret if you really think you should? Would someone else be hurt if you didn’t tell the secret? What if you keep the secret and things start to go wrong?
There are, of course, even legal ramifications of knowing something that is not known by anyone else. And what if you forget you were supposed to keep it a secret? Wouldn’t you hate to be the one who gave away the surprise party? What a dilemma.
Think about the secrets that have occurred in your life. Did they mean trouble? Let me put it this way – If you have a secret, please don’t whisper it in this direction. My secrets journal is all booked up.
P.S. Among more than 50,000 research participants I’ve surveyed, the most common secrets include a lie we’ve told (69 percent), romantic desire (61 percent), sex (58 percent), and finances (58 percent). Jun 3, 2022
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