“There are two kinds of secrets. The ones we keep from others and the ones we keep from ourselves.”
Reflect on that quote. What does it mean to you? Our secrets can weigh us down, but Frank Warren, founder of PostSecret, believes that nobody is alone.
On Tues., Sept. 17, USF University Lecture Series brought Warren to speak. Warren created the PostSecret project in 2004, where he invited people to share their secrets. As noted in the epilogue of Warren’s latest book, “Confessions on Life, Death and God,” Frank has received over four hundred thousand postcards that are mailed anonymously and express desires, hopes, fears, humor and so much more. Secrets are posted every Sunday on the website www.PostSecret.com, and there have been five books published by HarperCollins filled with even more secrets.
The lecture had students reflecting and sharing their secrets. This article would never be able to accurately describe the amount of inspiration, passion and trust that was created in the room. Warren’s speech was well crafted as he revealed his own secrets of battles with his family, mental stability and more. He spoke of his passion for suicide prevention and proudly announced that PostSecret raised $50,000 last week for National Suicide Prevention Week, and nearly $1 million over the years. Warren’s stories filled the MSC Ballroom with smiles, tears, laughs and every emotion possible.
Warren’s stories included one of a man who sent in a secret with a picture of him and his girlfriend’s cat next to an engagement ring, stating how he was going to propose to her. Warren posted that secret this past Valentines day, and as the couple participated in their Sunday ritual of viewing the new secrets together she turned to him and said, “Is that our cat?!” Her new fiancée was on one knee.
Warren told another story of a secret that shared of never deleting voicemails of loved ones with the fear of them dying, which escalated to hundreds and hundreds of emails to Warren of saved voicemail clips of sender’s loved one’s who have passed.
Every story illustrated one thing: That nobody is alone. Your deepest, darkest, most embarrassing, or most difficult secret is shared with others in the world, and the spirit of PostSecret is to connect – because there is kindness in strangers.
Warren ended his lecture by inviting students up to a set of microphones to share their secrets with the room. The PostSecret spirit captured students, and everyone in the audience could feel the emotion as each student spoke. Students expressed issues of feeling lost in their past but welcomed at the university, of controversial topics such as abortions and sexual orientation, of adopting a puppy that saved a life. The audience remained engaged and interactive. One student shared her secret of wanting to work with those who have a mental illness, because she herself has suffered from mental illness. A handful of voices shouted out, “You’re not alone!”.
Warren stayed after for a book signing. As students left the ballroom discussions could be heard from left to right of sharing secrets, thanking others for sharing their secrets.and people could be seen hugging old friends and new ones, too.
You are encouraged to share your secret with someone you trust. Secrets can be sent to Frank Warren at 13345 Copper Ridge Rd, Germantown, Maryland 20874-3454.
“Sometimes when we think we are keeping a secret, the secret is actually keeping us.”