Moment of Truth

I had never watched this show until its finale tonight. Apparently spouses go on TV, sit in a lie detector chair and answer devastating questions about very private matters in an effort to win money.

As the contestant gradually erodes the bedrock of his or her marriage, the host of the show idiotically keeps “congratulating” them on progressing toward the goal of wining more money. Why people would subject themselves to such a brutal display of their inner lives before a nationwide audience just for the sake of a few thousand dollars?

Contestants’ answers bring their families to tears, dredge up old hurts, , shred relationships , and reveal things that should never see the light of day.
Why would anyone in their right mind answer questions like:
- Have you ever regretted marrying your husband?
- Have you ever had sexual relations with one of your best friend’s old boyfriends?
- Were you in love with someone else on your wedding day?
- Have you ever had a sexual fantasy involving your best friend?
- Have you ever stolen money from the family business?
- Have you ever had sexual relations with someone other than your husband during your marriage?
- Have you ever considered hiring a private investigator to follow your husband around?
- Do you blame your father for ruining your childhood?
- Do you consider yourself to be a better mother than your own mother was?

Now come on. Sometimes people think terrible things, do terrible things, but they wouldn’t dream of making these blunders public. Are we really so shallow that we’d willingly bare our soiled souls for a few bucks? Apparently some of us are.

The thing is, while an unexamined life may not be worth living, a thoroughly scrutinized life may be the death of you. Everybody mutters under their breath, wishes plagues on pests, fantasizes about the people in their lives, but how serious are we in these momentary lapses? Following through on crazy thoughts is one thing, and even if you do something foolish, no amount of money is worth revealing a secret that has the potential to wreck your life and ruin relationships with your closest friends and family.

How much are your secrets worth?