Alright. If you’re reading this, I’m willing to bet that you’ve kept a secret at some point in your life. You know what I mean – Told a little white lie. Hidden the truth. Kept something to yourself – maybe something really important.

Yeah, don’t look innocent. We’ve all done it. (Unless you’ve been doomed to live out the real-life version of that godawful Liar Liar movie from the 90s). Think about it. How many secrets have you ever kept? Probably a hell of a lot more than you’re willing to admit.

And now I bet you’re sitting there feeling all guilty, right?

Well don’t.

Seriously. Stop.

Secrets aren’t always a bad thing. In fact, most of the time they’re for a damn good reason.

I mean, look at all the superheroes out there – Superman, Spiderman, Batman, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (What? She totally counts!) – They all kept their real identities secret. And you know why? So they could keep saving everyone’s asses without having to deal with all the backlash. And so Clark Kent, Peter Parker, Bruce Wayne, and Buffy Summers could go on living their normal lives.

If their secrets ever came out, it would have turned their whole world upside down. And not just their worlds – their friends’ and families’ too. So they never told anyone the truth. Wouldn’t you do the same?

Or (Lena’s gonna LOVE this) what about that stupid Lord of the Rings trilogy? What does that old wizard dude say when he gives the ring to the little fuzzy-footed guy? “Keep it secret. Keep it safe.” Because otherwise the bad guy will know what they’re up to and their never-ending nature walk across New Zealand would be ruined.

It’s a pretty damn important secret. Who the hell are we to judge little Frollo or Frito or whatever his dumb name is? He shouldn’t feel guilty, should he? Isn’t he doing what’s right?

Or what about a secret that protects someone you care about? What if something bad could happen if the truth ever came out? Like in season nine of Supernatural, when that angel saved Sam’s life? Dean never told him what was happening. Why? Because his brother could have DIED if he found out the truth. And yeah, maybe keeping the secret kinda-sorta got their friend Kevin killed, but he sucked anyway.

Or what about Star Wars? If Obi-Wan told Luke about his father, what do you think that idiot would have done? Rushed off to find Vader before he was ready. Because he’s a freaking moron. And he probably would have gotten himself killed. So for all you losers on the internet asking why Obi-Wan never told him, the answer is BECAUSE HE HAD A DAMN GOOD REASON.

So see? Secrets AREN’T all bad.

What’s bad is when someone finds out about your secret… And then you have to convince THEM to keep it too.

Life would be so much easier if it were like Harry Potter or something. One spell and BAM, your secret’s safe inside ONE person. Bound to their very soul. No need to worry about the truth spreading or getting back to the wrong person… So damn easy, as long as your Secret Keeper isn’t some jackass like Peter Pettigrew.

But unfortunately, life isn’t like that.

So today, I offer two bits of wisdom to all you losers out there with something to hide:

Stop feeling guilty. You probably have a good reason, so stop beating yourself up over it. Keep it hidden, for as long as you can. Because once the word gets out, it’s a BITCH to keep things in check.

Like one of my favorite Doctors once said, “Secrets protect us. Secrets make us safe.”

And maybe his Clara didn’t believe it.

But this one definitely does.