For I have Sinned...

What is it about anonymity that allows people to say things they wouldn’t say if you knew who they were? I’ve been introduced to a site (Group Hug: Anonymous Online Confessions) in which people post confessions. There is no name, place, gender, ethnicity, age, or any other identifying characteristic to detect the poster, just a random number chosen by the website. There are some absolutely outrageous things posted on here! From the hilarious to the rather disturbing this site seems to have found something our society is lacking. Confession.

Yes, many Catholics still partake in the sacrament of Confession, but how open are these supplicants? Would you feel comfortable telling a priest your deepest darkest secrets? For some people, the answer would be absolutely. However most people would have a hard time telling any person face to face that they have done things they are not proud of. But aren’t we told that we shouldn’t keep things inside, that we should talk to people when we are confused or need help? Tragically, we are also raised to think that we should always be striving to be the best we can be. We shouldn’t show our weaknesses to others, as they will take advantage of them. So what are modern folks to do?

I believe the anonymity of the Internet has created a place for people to go and vent about their everyday lives. They won’t be judged or ostracized. After all, we all want to be popular whether we want to admit it or not. Of course, there are people who don’t buy in to the group mentality. But isn’t it true that those who don’t participate fully in society are viewed as loners and are often characterized as some sort of villain. Literature is full of Villains who are usually social outcasts, pushed towards their crimes by their state of isolation from the rest of society. At heart, I think all people are lonely. We are all trying to find ways to be working parts of society. We want to be accepted with open arms by the rest of humanity. That’s why we don’t confess our secrets to others. We don’t want people to know that have been naughty or disgusting, deceitful or jealous. Some write diaries, others just think, still others express their innermost thoughts through art.

While I wouldn’t feel comfortable posting my secrets for all to see (even with the advent of anonymity) I think it’s great that people have chosen this venue to free their minds. I hope that each poster has found some sort of solace in the sheer act of saying, or rather writing aloud what has weighed them down. More power to those who feel that open.