This week I discovered PostSecret.com. For those unfamiliar with the website that has spawned several books, you send a postcard with a secret, which is then anonymously posted on the website. Having run a teen website for several years now, I can tell you that people are willing to tell you things on the Internet that they would never divulge in “real life.”
After just a few minutes browsing the site, some truths about humanity became apparent. Take a look at this video of some of the confessions and see what strikes you.
The authenticity and depth of emotion struck me. In these secrets we can see every human emotion including regret, unexpressed gratitude, misery, loneliness, greed, shame and brokenness, just to name a few.
We all have secrets. We all have baggage we carry with us everywhere we go. We are all broken, messed up and miserable, yet we all put on masks, go to work and pretend we are “normal.” We pretend everyone around us is normal, silently suffering and terrified that someone will find out what we’re hiding, not realizing that everyone around us feels the exact same way.
It begs the question, what would the world be like if we were more authentic and open with one another? Based on the depth of my relationship with the people I am closest to and most open with, I think the world would be a better place.
On the other hand, another revelation of PostSecret is the darkness of the human sole. The way we use one another, hurt one another and keep our own interests at heart. If everyone was more authentic, we would exploit each other’s weaknesses.
Still, authenticity is admirable if not always practical.