Trust

Last night I went to the bookstore before going to class. I purchased a book on behalf of one of my students, as she needs the novel for my class, but cannot afford it. I told her that she could borrow my copy. I could not find it though. I will not tell her I had to purchase a new copy. She does not need to know. It will be my (and now your) little secret.

While I was there, I browsed a bit, as I had some time to kill prior to class. One book I glanced at was Frank Warren's newest PostSecret book. It is called The Secret Lives of Men and Women. Similar to his other books, Warren's newest bestseller is a collection of secrets sent via anonymous postcards, which come from around the world. The secrets sent in vary in topics and in creativity. For whatever reason, I am intrigued by them.

I think I have mentioned before that I think it is a common belief that perhaps knowing a person's secret(s) allows one a glimpse into his or her soul. I personally do not have many secrets. Clearly, I have a few, but I am not clever enough to keep them to myself for an extended period of time. Therefore, if one were to ask about my secrets, especially if he or she were a person I trust, I would probably reveal them with little struggle.

As I flipped through the book, I found that I did not wonder about the people who wrote the secrets as I usually do. Instead, I found myself sorting through them as they applied to my life. I thought, "Could I have written this", "Does this apply to me"? The strange thing was: more of the secrets than I would have thought could have actually come from me. Is this due to the fact that, really, some of the things that people try to keep secret because of the shame, guilt, or embarrassment associated with them are more common than we all think? That human struggles and joys are truly universal? Or, is it possible that I am just much deeper than I originally thought? (highly doubtful). I suspect it is the first option -- yet I think that we forget how common the human experience really is. Instead, we often focus on our differences and segregate ourselves: men vs. women, old vs. young, republican vs. democrat, etc.

Secrets continue to fascinate me. The construct of trust fascinates me too. It means a lot when a person puts him or her self out on the line in front of you -- when he or she make him or her self vulnerable. I hope that I continue to be brave enough to share my secrets. I hope that others will continue to share theirs with me. There is something truly beautiful about that type of trust...