Rumours / Gossip

I read this interesting story about Gossip the other day:

A woman repeated a bit of gossip about a neighbor.

Within a few days the whole community knew the story. The person it concerned was deeply hurt and offended. Later the woman responsible for spreading the rumor learned that it was completely untrue. She was very sorry and went to a wise old sage to find out what she could do to repair the damage.

"Go to the marketplace," he said, "and purchase a chicken, and have it killed. Then on your way home, pluck its feathers and drop them one by one along the road." Although surprised by this advice, the woman did what she was told.

The next day the wise man said, "Now go and collect all those feathers you dropped yesterday and bring them back to me."

The woman followed the same road, but to her dismay, the wind had blown the feathers all away. After searching for hours, she returned with only three in her hand. "You see," said the old sage, "it's easy to drop them, but it's impossible to get them back. So it is with gossip. It doesn't take much to spread a rumor, but once you do, you can never completely undo the wrong."

So what is gossip and why are we so willing to participate in it?

It is a sad truth that people cannot love you for just you, that they are easily persuaded to believe anything, & enjoy participating in the story line of a good bit of gossip.

I think it is a matter of self love actually.

If you don't love yourself, how is it possible to love another human being for who they are?

So anything that people do affects you and threatens you.

There is a saying: "People talk about you and bring you down because they cannot be at the level you are, so they need to bring you down to their level"

I sit here saddened as I think of times when I have been shamed before the ones I love & those who are suppose to know my heart.

Yes, I have cried in secret & died inside to a level of joy & trust I once felt.

If I could change one thing in this world, it would be this...

It is true that some things are better left unsaid.

That you really do need to walk a mile in another mans shoes & that if you haven't got anything nice to say...don't say anything at all.