Anonymous Secritude

Thanks to a friend's desire for Dunn Brothers coffee this morning, I made my first trip to the Minneapolis Central Public Library today. A Cesar Pelli architectural project, the building itself is a masterpiece. Clean. Focused on the books. Plenty of natural light. It's a calm and inviting space.

But what really stood out was an exhibit entitled Post Secret. The basic premise is that people send postcards with their deepest secrets on them anonymously and they are posted to a blog. Some of the better ones (better being relative, I found some darkly humorous, some disturbing and some beautifully cathartic) are showcased in the exhibit. I highly recommend it to anyone in the area.





I was overwhelmed by the general misery that came through the notes. It seems that 75% of them were concerened with horrible things that happened like rape, drug abuse, self-inflicted damage, etc. But the channel that Post Secret provides for release certainly helps those sending in such damning thoughts. It brought to mind another article that my friend had sent me regarding what we have lost in the 21st century. Especially the ability to connect. It was horrible to see that many people felt the need to reveal these secrets in the only way they knew how: anonymously and to no one in particular. I left considering just how much better off we would be if we could simply talk to each other with no fear of repurcussion or judgement. We all have secrets and things we aren't proud of. Getting them off our chests to a confidant would certainly help mitigate the need for anti-depressants and heavy medication.

Post your own. See how it feels.