Peeking Out Beyond The Shell

It is written that in ancient Roman times, some wives of the Roman aristocracy would occasionally put on masks, servant's clothing, and escape from the trappings of their everyday life and spend the day and sometimes the night living and breathing among the common people.

The need for the mask is obvious - the women knew that they eventually had to return to their homes, their elitist associations, and their generally isolated existence. Were they ever to be publicly exposed, their temporary excursions into the city's streetlife would probably become permanent; it was their secret to keep.

We all have our own secrets to keep and that's fine. Occasionally, most secrets revealed prove to be temporarily embarrassing or mildly hurtful. Nonetheless, we choose to embellish their importance and keep them known only to ourselves. I do believe, however, that we often and inwardly desire to share the secrets, and like the Roman's wives, under a mask of anonymity.

PostSecret facilitates that secret desire. Anybody is free to send in a postcard and tell whatever secret they desire to share. Names are not require; neither are return addresses. The only further communication possible is an open invitation to a hopeline to speak with a qualified counselor for professional help.

The website is updated on Sundays. It's become a ritual of mine to look at the new entries each week. All are cathartic in varying levels. Most are amusing. Few are painful to read.

The website is still in its infancy. At the present moment, it is seemingly free from abuse. Most submissions appear to be genuine and heartfelt. Furthermore, I haven't read anything so shocking that I thought the police should automatically be notified of. Maybe a professional therapist or two, but no law enforcement.

What keeps me coming back to the website is the normalcy of most other's secrets. Maybe to them, the secret is a heavy burden that is difficult to carry. But most of the thoughts and/or actions are not outside the mainstream. A few I could have written myself. Maybe by sharing with the general public, people are able to move beyond whatever it is they were hiding and find a new perspective on their life.

Does that mean I'm ready to open up and reveal all of the workings of my mind and soul, reveal everything I have always wished to keep hidden from everybody else?

Not likely, but nice try.