Secrets
Why is it that we sometimes feel the need to keep secrets? I’m not talking about important secrets like our passwords and what we’re getting you for Christmas but little secrets about ourselves. Are we afraid of disapproval? Or perhaps we need to have secrets in an effort to distinguish us from everyone else? Are secrets an essential part of our individuality?
For example if someone you lived with knew all of your secrets wouldn’t life become rather dull? No surprises? Then your entertainment value as a conversationalist would almost completely boil down to what happened to you that day. That would be unfortunate but at the same time I think we need to be judicious about what we keep secret. Is it something that you just haven’t mentioned or would someone view the lack of disclosure with distrust?
For example a fair secret would be reading the gossip column every day, a perhaps more questionable secret would be not telling your partner about some medication you are taking. In the first example the only consequence would be a perhaps unhealthy level of knowledge of the private lives of celebrities - if it doesn’t affect the production schedule of 24, Doctor Who, or the Transformers sequels I could care less who is pregnant.
But in the case of the second example where an allergic reaction could potentially endanger your health it may not be as wise to keep it to yourself.
Some secrets are healthy and even fun like the outfit you plan on wearing at a special occasion but I think it’s worthwhile to share the bigger stuff. Secrets for their own sake seem to have very little value to me, especially when you consider that you never know when they might come out.
