December 29th, 2008 
Seafoodpuncher 
Secrets eat away at you. For whatever reason, people have the need to admit their most disturbing emotions to others, as if sharing their thoughts will relinquish them of some of their guilt.
Not only that, but we are drawn to gossip like flies to roadkill. Maybe hearing the confessions of others helps us feel better about our own problems. Or maybe we are all just asses and like to hear that other people’s lives suck too.
It may not all be about guilt and self-pity either, but acceptance. What if sporting a full-body tiger costume and going to furry conventions is your dream come true? It is sad that these harmless desires are frowned upon, but they are. So when an emotionally disturbed individual finds others with similar issues, it all becomes less embarrassing as soon as a secret is shared.
Humans have the incessant urge to hear the secret rants of others as well. This may be why sites like Post Secret and Group Hug are so popular. The confessions posted here range from clever and cute, to downright morbid and depressing…but they are all fascinating: Behind each of the cards sent to Post Secret is a face of an individual who had something they felt was worth sharing.
This is a great idea by the artist, who started the whole trend by handing out self addressed and stamped post cards-A clean slate to fill out and send in for judgement (but without having to go church). Now she has books full of donated secrets for sale at every Barnes and Nobles. Again, this is the sort of thing people thumb through and yell “Dammit, why didnt I think of that?! People are doing all the work, putting awesome little post cards together, and I could have made a book out of it!”
Ok, so there is my confession: I am ueber-jealous that I didn’t think of the idea, and then I feel guilty because I am jealous that someone else figured out a way to use people’s talent and I didn’t, and then I wonder if confessing anything on my own site is really that great of an idea. Hmm, surprisingly I don’t feel better after giving up my ’secret’. Confession #2: I love sauerkraut. Confession #3: Even though people tend to think I’m relatively intelligent, I sometimes use my fingers to count because math terrifies me. Ok, Moving on!
It must feel nice to have a secret drip onto the paper and to imagine the ink sinking into the fibers burrying the confession with it. The message may be meant for someone long gone or forgotten. It may also just be a wish given form with a post card or an embarassing thought you KNOW you couldn’t ever tell anyone without consequence. In the end, it is just a note read by millions and hopefully the confessor gets some form of relief (or at least a sense of satisfaction knowing that they have entertained others).
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From PostSecret:
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