Secret Keeping: The Value of Confidentiality

All of us have secrets. We all have personal ones that we do not share with others. We also have a few that we share with the people close to us. Secrets are kind of like a social contract of confidentiality that you put unto someone else or others have entrusted to you.

They also come in many forms. It can be in the form of harmless gossip or jokes, or even in the form of information that can affect one’s reputation maliciously. Some seem lighter than others, and others seem really heavy.

Regardless of that, secrets have a high value to each and every one of us. They are highly connected to our emotions. We all must learn the value and benefits of confidentiality.

Secret Keeping: The Value of Confidentiality

Trust

Humans are social creatures. It is innate in our DNA to interact. In addition, communication and building relationships are a few of the things that keep us going. With this, it is hard to keep information like secrets from spilling. Constant communication with oneself and with others can build trust. Trust can come in many forms. It can improve your relationship with yourself or with others.

Secrets require this along with confidence. Personally, trust is the one thing I value over anything. Moreover, it can definitely hurt big time if it is broken. Secrets play a big part in improving or breaking our trust and relationship with others. You need to understand that secrets, while some of them may seem small to you, can definitely be big to the person that shared them.

If you can keep a secret, then it means that the person who shared has nothing to fear. You respect their trust in you and the confidence they gave you, making you a loyal friend. If not, it can break your current relationship or can inspire doubt and halt future interactions with one another.

Self-control

Discipline plays a big part in this. Pre-think the situation that will happen once you spread secrets to one another. Just because you know it, does not mean you need to share it. As simple as that. While it is hard to hold back a few details, which in this case is a secret, then it can tell you that you are getting better at your self-control.

Being a discreet confidant makes you more dependable as a person. You can look at all the angles that will play out and can improve your thinking. Treat the secrets that are shared with you as a challenge to build self-discipline to make sure that their confidence in you will never falter.

Empathy

Since secrets are highly connected to our emotions, they can improve our empathy. Whether it contains a positive or negative influence, the ability to understand confidential information by placing yourself in their situation can mean a lot. There is no small matter here. Everything they confide in you is big to them and it makes you more sensitive in your way of interacting.

Having more of this couldn’t hurt at all. It is one of the things humans can improve on a lot. Secrets shared with you can play a part in this. Humans are never emotionally mature. However, this can help in improving our emotional ways of thinking.

Lastly, there are secrets that we keep to ourselves and we share with others. Although some say that sharing your secret is no longer a secret, it all boils down to the person you share it with and how you treat the term. As a human that loves to communicate with myself and others, learning these can go a long way. It would be nice if all of us can keep a secret that would not hurt a person. Understanding the value of confidentiality can lead to a less toxic and more harmonious society.