An Open Secret

“Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

- Galatians 1:10 NIV

here are all kinds of open secrets, things we all know to be true but deny or just don’t talk about in polite company. We all wear masks to hide our true selves and pretend that the way we act in public and in the light of day is the same way we act in private and in the dark. Part of being polite with others is not forcing them to take off their masks in public. A person’s private self may differ markedly from their public self.

Not everyone wants to reveal their sexual orientation, for instance, or the fact that they have particular habits or idiosyncrasies. But to live with integrity and to be authentic requires us to align our private selves with our public selves, in other words to not be a completely different person in public from who we are in private. And yet, the decision to reveal to others the details of our private selves—whether that be one’s sexual orientation, or just some idiosyncratic habit—is a personal decision left up to each individual. We pay a price either way. Keeping things hidden is isolating and limits our freedom to be our true selves, whereas revealing to others who we really are risks their disapproval and perhaps even their rejection. Reflect on who you really are, and who you really want to be, and consider aligning your private self with your public one.

– Christopher Simon