Locked Up Forever Inside

We all have secrets.

Some are close to the surface, others are buried deep within our hearts. Fear of judgement from relatives and society keeps us from revealing these often dark truths. Sometimes we keep these secrets to hide truth from others or so they don't get hurt by our thoughts and actions.

Some people even go through their whole lives without having revealed to others what really lies beneath their public personas. We are all unique beings with different perspectives, but some of us hide who we really are a lot more than others.

What or who is to blame? Society for not accepting the individual for their deviant thoughts and behaviours? The individual for failing to integrate and flourish within the confines and expectations of the society in which they live? Whichever may be the case, I am yet to meet a person who does not possess some type of secret - no matter how small and insignificant it may seem to them.

Do you believe that all secrets will be revealed through the course of time, or do you believe sometimes secrets can be buried for eternity? Perhaps in the afterlife, if it exists, we can become privy to all or any information we may desire.

What do you believe?

Is this about that time at band camp???

Seriously... I agree with you. I think we all have secrets and I am not sure any of us over the age of 15 will get out of this life alive without a secret that we would never want those who love us to know about.

I'm not sure if everything will be revealed in due time. I think we will always have to live with our own secrets and one day may even have to answer for them, but I am not sure if that will include everyone knowing or not.

Who knows? One of life's little mysteries. One day we will all know if we will learn them or not... For better or worse, I've no doubt.

Secrets...yes. We all have them, from the most trivial to the life-altering. Some eventually come out as times and attitudes change, and others we take to the grave. But more than secrets, I think you hit it on the head when you mentioned living your whole life with nothing revealed to others. To me that's more about not being able to be yourself and the root cause of what we're terming secrets.

Society, almost by its very definition, prevents many, many people from being themselves because themselves might not exactly fit the ideal of said society, and the pressures society can inflict are many. You are expected to act a certain way, dress a certain way (age appropriate blah blah), behave a certain way, not discuss certain things (don't speak your mind if so-and-so is around at work), and you suffer the consequences, both real and perceived, if you don't.

You have to put on certain faces in certain situations to fit in, to move ahead, to maintain a status quo everyone strives to maintain usually for no other reason than it's always been that way or that's how they were thought it had to be. It gets tiresome putting on and keeping track of all these faces and constantly worrying about letting another face slip out. And the constant pressure to fit in and to constantly morph into one thing after another that you are not can take its toll if you notice such things. And it can make you feel like you're alone and locked up inside of you.

And being a little different or even a lot different isn't always an easy thing, even when your different doesn't affect or hurt another soul in any other way but to make them question their own choices and facades, which in fact may be what strikes deepest in their own souls.

Key point...again...my thoughts on this is all about the people we are and the things we do that don't hurt anyone, yet still instill a need or expectation to conform, to hide our true selves. If it's something that actually does hurt someone, of course all bets are off.

Seems what I said was so important ATS decided to post it twice Sorry.

Even though we're so self-absorbed and individualistic, there's no room for the individual. Besides, with many secrets and subjects comes a high chance that others just won't understand how it works or what it's about and given how little interest there is in one another, few will genuinely try. It'll just spread as gossip, most likely. On the other hand, opening up takes courage so people often don't even have the chance to respond well.

a reply to: Dark Ghost

I guess it depends on what line of work you're in. Personal secrets are different than trade secrets, intelligence, etc.

A lot of it is simply fear of how people will mishandle these 'secrets' that many people choose to keep as a secret. The truth of the matter is that many people are not good at dealing with pretty basic stuff, imho. I can't speak for everyone, but where Im from, its as if people have been conditioned to negatively judge and deride others, even their own family and friends, over the most stupid things. Who the # cares if he or she is this or that, who cares if he likes ass to mouth, who cares if she doesn't enjoy having sex very often, who THE #, CARES. I know who cares - people who seek out pain and suffering in others, like it's some kind of bull# past time. I know who else cares - the people like me who see right through the pretending bastards who mess with people over these things.

Leave people be and wish them well, that's all I gotta say.

a reply to: Dark Ghost

Oh good grief...YES! We keep secrets!
You see how judgemental society is!!?

People are literally putting selfies on sites to be judged 'hot' or 'not hot' by strangers!! (How sick is that?)
Approval...everyone wants approval.

*snort*
The ONLY approval you need is your own. Once you can forgive yourself for being weird, knowing full well that EVERYBODY is weird, lol...and you can cut yourself some slack for stupid ideas and youthful naiveté....then your secrets won't feel so uncomfortable.

I keep quite a few secrets that other people have told me. I enjoy having the reputation of being trustworthy.

Do I think all secrets are eventually revealed?
No. I think many secrets are buried deep, and no one ever really knows the truth.

S&F
jacygirl

a reply to: Dark Ghost

The secrets most hidden are those we try to keep hidden from those we seek approval from, because we believe if they knew the secret it would change how they think of us. The worst case scenario would be that they would reject us.
Trying to maintain other people's approval is a frightening proposition because it begs the question of what is normal and what is OK? I don't think anyone truly believes that they are OK.

I'm of the mindset everything comes out in the wash eventually. If no one understands or can put themselves in my shoes?
Too damn bad. As long as I'm ok with myself & did my best it's all good. That said some folks have done some really boneheaded stuff when they were younger. Does it benefit them for others to know once they have grown up and worked hard to change? Probably not. Some things should be left alone.

It's the optimist in me.

I fear to even think about my secrets.