The Secrets Society

By Katrina A. Holigores
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Last updated 06:07pm (Mla time) 01/04/2008

MANILA, Philippines—Postcards are like the post-its of travel, one single evocative image in front and enough space to write on in the back. At least, this is what comes to mind when I think of postcards. Frank Warren though, thought different—he saw a postcard as a means to build a community. In 2004 he handed out 3,000 blank postcards to strangers and asked them to write down a secret ( a real and true one) that they had not shared with anyone else and mail it to him. Since then, he has received more than 150,000 homemade postcards (with a rate of 1,000 a week) which he posts on his blogsite http://postsecret.blogspot.com./ When I entered the site I became its 116,605,328th visitor, but I strongly feel that those are humbled values. Everyone loves a good secret, be it a dirty little one like “I don’t brush my teeth on weekends” to ones with deep anguish such as “I only date black men because my white brother molested me”. The accompanying artwork is a far cry from the usual picturesque scenes you see in a tourist stand-some are evocative of the pain or joy the “secret- donor” unleashes on that one piece of paper.

Reading someone else’s auto-exposé is akin to paper voyeurism—a visual confession that was not meant for anyone’s ears or eyes... but Post Secret has created a community of confessors. In fact, one so large that it has already resulted in international art exhibits of selected postcard confessions and four books (three of which are New York Times bestsellers). The site invites anyone who wishes to unload a chance to do it anonymously and as creatively as can be. The temptation to spill has never been so juicy, and not only can one do so in print as video and audio confessional options are now available. Keep those lips locked or tell all, but before you decide see what other people have to say about themselves.

Katrina Holigores is a self-confessed secrets junkie. Having been born with planetary energies that would have made her better suited as a private investigator than a media multitasker, she finds solace in trying to make light of things that would have been better off left in the dark. To achieve 20/20 night vision is her next goal this year.