Act of Human Nature

Though the truth may hurt, secrets hurt more. They are not only a burden to the holder but they can have a profound impact on others. Secrets are an act of human nature, and we all have them, good or bad. There are secrets people keep from our loved ones to spare them pain or discomfort, and there are secrets people keep for their own advantage. Although not all secrets are harmful, secrets should not be kept because they hurt the people around them.

When it comes to keeping secrets from strangers, they will often be used to deceive one another. In 1932, Tuskegee University did a study called "Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male." During the study, "researchers told the men participating in the study that they were being treated for ‘bad blood'" (Tuskegee University: About The USPHS Syphilis Study). What the participating men did not know was that they were being treated for syphilis. There was no known treatment at the time and the study was 100 percent experimental. Researchers assumed that just because these "men were poor and illiterate" (Tuskegee University: About The USPHS Syphilis Study) they would not need to know the truth. Because the researchers did not tell the participants wha t they were being ‘treated' for, "dozens of men had died and their wives, children and untold number of others had been infected"(Tuskegee University: About The USPHS Syphilis Study). When people keep secrets for their own advantages they do not realize affect it may have on the person they are keeping it from, and the people close to that person.

Often times, there will be secrets kept from family. Whether it is about losing a job, or not telling your kid that he or she was adopted, it is most likely done to spare the pain or discomfort. Sometimes a kid may live most of his or her life not knowing that he or she was adopted because the parents just decided not to tell them, but