Didn't hear it from me

Keeping a secret is one of the hardest things a person can ever do, requiring more commitment and dedication than marriage and better proof of devotion than all other tests of loyalty. Make any other mistake, break any other promise, and you can likely be forgiven. Expose someone's true secret and the strongest bonds are irreparably severed, friendships dissolved. This is why personal facts are so rarely isolated amongst only two people and why the prospect of discovering a secret is so titillating.

Just mentioning the possession of confidential knowledge excites interest for anyone listening, and it's the biggest reward for agreeing to its shared ownership. Of course, mentioning the secret at all to those outside the trust is the first step into the pitfalls of swearing secrecy. As great as it feels to be accepted into such an exclusive club, holding onto a secret is an erosion of the mind and will. Maybe it's the acidic nature of being sole proprietor over such information that fuels our need to tell another, and justifies forgiving ourselves when the deed is done.

Releasing this mystery upon someone else is a confession, a relief from a heavy burden. A good secret can be a powerful weapon, but one that's volatile and unstable. When we break it all down, nothing is a secret for long. It's a game of revelation hot potato, and the only guarantee is that someone will get burned.