Do most people have a terrible secret which could ruin their life?

[aurynne]

Yesterday my DH and I were watching an episode of The Honourable Woman, and I found myself thinking back to all the movies, novels and series in which it appears that every character is carrying a dark, terrible secret which would ruin their life if it came to light. Often there is someone in the plot who, at some point, says something like "Everybody has a secret to protect", and the main character nods wisely, as if this was widely known and accepted.

I know it's fiction, but do you believe this is mostly true? Do you have a secret which, if revealed, would affect your or your loved ones' lives in a significant way? Of course I am not asking you to reveal it here (although if you wish, please be my guest, I am very nosey!), but please just feed my curiosity by saying YES (I have a dark secret) or NO (I don't have any dark secrets).

Personally, I think I must be very boring. The best detective in the World could not really find anything juicy to blackmail me with. My family is not going to find any skeletons in my closet (perhaps just some dust balls). I obviously have parts of my life that I prefer to remain in the private arena, but nothing worth going viral for, nothing that would really shock anyone or turn my life upside down by far if I published it today in The New York Times.

What about you?

[BlackAmericanoNoSugar]

Yes, it’s not a huge secret and my family would probably be unconcerned but in theory it could have made my life go a different way if it was known.

[Riddlediddle]

Yes l definately have things I wouldn't want people to find out about me that's for sure. Nothing that would see me end up in prison but things that would change people's perceptions of me should they find out. These are things from way back that happened when I was young and naive

[Annamaria14]

Not me.

But I know other family's secrets. Very big secrets.

For example, I know a family with two parents and six children. I know that the parents had to give another child up for adoption, because they had her before they got married. So I know that these six children, have an older sister. But they don't know.

I also know about a different family. I know that who the boy thinks is his dad, is not his real dad. I know who his real dad is, but he doesn't know anything about this.

A lot of family secrets around

[Dollywilde]

Nothing that would ruin my life or affect my family. But I’m closely related to a quite well-known recent murderer and I do keep that quiet socially, so I guess that’s a sort of secret I keep?

[PeppasMuddyPuddles]

No

[PontiacBandit]

Actually yes, I have 2. One that could ruin my career and one that could ruin my marriage.

[TryingToBeBold]

Yes

[Youngatheart00]

Yep, several

[megrichardson]

Not exactly secrets but things from the past that I'm ashamed of and I wouldn't want those close to me to know.

[PeaPeaEeByGum]

I have two. One from years ago that makes me shudder.

One current.

[megrichardson]

....wait, maybe that's what a secret is.

[Waxonwaxoff0]

No. I do have one secret, it wouldn't ruin my life at all but I am ashamed of it and it would potentially ruin someone else's life.

[LyingWitchInTheWardrobe]

Yes.

[dayswithaY]

Not me, but I do know some secrets that other people are keeping and they wouldn't want me to tell anyone. If I ever I'm found murdered they could be prime suspect!

[SoupDragon]

No. Nothing.

[OhLookHeKickedTheBall]

Not about me, but there are some within the family that could change theirs if they knew (as in they've had the thing related to them kept from them but others know if that makes sense).

[justanotherneighinparadise]

I definitely have shameful events that I would tell no one ever. Not blackmailable and nothing unlawful, just ugly shameful happenings.

[ExhaustedGrinch]

No - but I know of LOTS of dark secrets of other people that could ruin their lives. A lot of the secrets relate to people I fucking hate (for very good reason) but I'd never let the cat out of the bag.

[Snorkelface]

Yes, but would ruin other's lives more than mine.

[SeriouslyRetro]

You’d imagine any infidelity could ‘change your life’ if it was discovered, and there’s an awful lot of that going on.

But the same person could separate ‘amicably’ for a better word, without anyone discovering the infidelity, and then it didn’t Change their life.

Secrets are strange things, more about perception than being actually damaging.

[Faraway20]

Yes.

[unlikelytobe]

Yes. Not life ruining but something I will take to my grave (drama, drama) mainly out of shame.

[Flippinfurloughed]

Yes. Ruin life type secrets- I can’t ever be famous!

[maddy68]

Yes. A few!! Two would be career ending , one is just incredibly embarrassing that I wouldn't want my friends and family to know

[Luaa]

Kind of. I have one, but the people who are closest to me know. If it came out it would change the life of someone else though.

I also have someone else's secret that if I told would quite probably change their life.