Telling about our lives is important for those who come after us, for those who will see our experience as part of their own historical struggle.
How important is it for us to support one another? How important is it for us to know our culture and to share our experiences with one another? How powerful it is to be authentic and to hold no secrets?
We’ve heard it said that “we’re as sick as our secrets.” What do we keep secret, and why? We keep secret those things that cause us shame. We may hold onto such things because we don’t want to surrender them. Yet if they’re causing us shame, wouldn’t we live more easily with ourselves if we were rid of them? Some of us hold onto the things that cause us shame for another reason. It’s not that we don’t want to be rid of them; we just don’t believe we can be rid of them.
It’s important to remember who we are and to share our burdens with others. When we admitted our powerlessness and sought help from others, the burden of our secret was lifted from us. Only when our secrets stop being secret can we begin to find relief from those things that cause us shame.
My secrets can make me sick only as long as they stay secret. Today, I will talk with a trusted friend about my secrets and continue to share my experiences, because together we can find relief and grow stronger in our collective journey. By being authentic and open, we support one another and honor the courage to be real.