Barry Mills: How open should we be when discussing our deepest, darkest secrets?

· Literature, Religion

Social media has really changed my life. It has connected me with people I would never have met otherwise, and that’s exciting for me since I really love people. One of the most intriguing people I have met lately is a man named Barry Mills. He has just started writing a blog entitled Two Lives, One Story. The content is about his wife and his own struggle to find their identities in this confusing world. A lot of what Barry talks about is his leaving the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and becoming Agnostic/Atheist. His wife, Bonnie, suffers from bipolar disorder. Both share intensely personal information with their friends and readers in the blog. I definitely invite you to check it out at http://twolivesonestory.org/.

 

The blog, and Barry himself, raise an interesting question. How much information should we share with others? As I said on Facebook recently, if everyone shared their darkest secrets, imagine the light that would be ushered into the world! A lot of people protect themselves with a reserve designed to act as a barrier, and it makes sense because there are a lot of people who can take our information and do bad things with it. However, while such an attitude is completely understandable, I feel that it is better to share, and take the chance that someone will take advantage of us. If we can help even one person feel like someone else shares their problem, and maybe even provide some wisdom along the way, then that is truly being a human being, in my opinion.

 

Of course, it is scary. What if we share the deepest part of ourselves and we are rejected? But…what if we share the deepest part of ourselves and we help someone else NOT be rejected? That’s worth it, then, I think.

 

I am trying to do the same. My first application of this new principle in my life of share, share, share came to fruit on my LinkedIn profile, where I discuss the book that I wrote, which is based on my true story. In it, I share the very personal information that I am a shemale. This is scary for me, because while a lot of people know this about me, a fair number don’t, and you never know, they may just read this stuff! However, what I went through in my life as a result of my physical deformity (which is how I view it) has taught me some lessons that are in my book, He Talks To Me, Too. Now I’ll talk a little bit about that.

 

Catherine wants to have a deeper relationship with God but is temporarily prevented from doing so by her own weaknesses, and what almost seems like a conspiracy against her by those in power. She feels lonely, unloved, and like she is on the outside looking in, wondering if she is a good person. She eventually realizes how to achieve her goal, but not before she is almost spiritually destroyed. This is a story of hope, of how much God loves us, and an exploration of the idea that every single person on earth, whether they are Christian, Muslim, Jewish, etc., can talk to God. And He talks to us, too. Based on the author’s true story.

 

That was the description of the book that I’m putting up on Amazon. I hope that you check out the free sample, found here: http://www.amazon.com/He-Talks-To-Too-ebook/dp/B00CQO0PYY/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1372178074&sr=1-1&keywords=he+talks+to+me+too

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