If you didn’t hear it with your own ears

IF YOU DIDNT HEAR IT WITH YOUR OWN EARS OR SEE IT WITH YOUR OWN EYES, DON’T INVENT IT WITH YOUR SMALL MIND AND SHARE IT WITH YOUR BIG MOUTH.

To the idle and small-minded person, gossip is sweet. It is funny how we are quick to share bad news about others. Even more shocking is the proclivity of some people to jump into any damaging story about another, and spread the tale.

What I find most baffling is the inclination of some people to come up with a completely unrealistic story about a person, with no evidence and proceed to share the story around.

The fact is if you haven’t heard it with your ears, and seen it with your eyes, you have no business spreading the tale.

It does not matter the source of your story, as long as you have not been privy to the events and have not had a first-hand experience of the event, you have no business spreading the story.

There are times when you are privy to the situation, and it still is not right to spread the story. 

Gossip can be destructive. When we carry tales, especially negative tales about people and spread them around, we do a lot damage to those people.

It is one thing to join an already existing train of gossip and further help to spread the story, it is another thing completely to be the origin of a damaging story about somebody. 

Especially when you have no evidence. How terrible a person are you to sit down and come up with a completely false and extremely damaging story about a person, and then proceed to share it.

Anyone who has been at the receiving end of a salacious gossip knows the pain that comes from being the subject of gossip.

Not only does it damage the person’s reputation, it ruins relationships, self-esteem and even trust. It is even worse when the gossip is unfounded. It hurts to think that someone will hate a person so much that they make up something salacious about them and share it.

We might not save everyone and make everyone happy, but we can avoid adding to their issues by refraining from starting, sharing and participating in gossip.

Rather than tear people down with our words, we can build up with encouraging words, reassurances and showing them love.

Even when you hear something bad about a person, some of the best approaches is to either stay far away from the gossip, or reach out to the person involved and ask them for their side of the story, if you are so invested in knowing the facts. Perhaps, the best and most loving approach is to show your support and love by being there for them if they are close to you.

When we choose to stand by a person who is being attacked by gossip, without judgement or ulterior motive, you are showing your love, and that is what we all need.

Do not be the one who starts gossip.

Gossip is like a wild fire in a dry forest. It starts and spreads quickly. Do not be the initiator, or the person who strikes the first match to light up the fire. Remember that fire burns and destroys.  So does gossip.