What does it mean to know another person? Is it possible to really know another person?

In the Biblical sense, to know someone was to have sex with them. For some people, knowing what someone looks like naked and what sounds they make when they come would be enough to know them. Nevertheless, another dictionary definition would be “to be absolutely sure of something”. What would that mean in relation to a person? It is impossible be with someone all the time and even if that were possible, thoughts will always remain private unless spoken or written.

Who would really want another person to know so much about him or her? We all have secrets: private thoughts, never articulated; dreams; fears and fantasies. We have all done things that we are glad that others do not know about: crimes and misdemeanours; youthful indiscretions; drunken mistakes; private moments and secrets from the past. Confession is supposed to be good for the soul; a problem shared is a problem halved but is there any truth in these clichés? Should we leave the past alone and keep secrets buried underground to rot? Or is it better to exhume the corpse and exorcise the demons?

Secrets are not all dark and horrible, unless you believe everything that you read in novels. Isn’t there an illicit thrill in doing something naughty and no one knowing? But where’s the fun if only you know? Isn’t the real thrill in telling someone? But whom do you tell? Who do you trust that much? Your best friend, perhaps? Most people will have done something (or someone) that they do not want even their best friend to know. Whom do you tell then?

Perhaps in this age of television confessions, blogging and social networking websites, these questions seem strange and old fashioned. There are websites where people can secretly confess things to the whole world. Is it easier sometimes to talk to a stranger than to a friend or family member? Or is there a secret thrill of anonymous exposure?

As you can see, I have more questions than answers but anyone who tells you that they have all the answers is either a liar or an idiot. I don’t have all the answers or even all the questions but I can listen if someone has something to say or a secret to tell.