Rumours

When was the last time you talked about someone in a bad way?  I’ve done it. Most people get afflicted with this. It’s not something I’m proud of, but it happens. Right?

Have you ever played Chinese Telephone? 

Get in a room with six people and whisper a personal story to your neighbor. Get your neighbor to repeat the story to her neighbor, and so on. Once all of the people have heard the story, the last person will share the story with the entire group. Funny enough, the story will have changed dramatically. 

Isn’t this the essence of what happens with rumours?

I met a guy yesterday who told me a story about someone I knew. He didn't know my relationship with this guy. I knew the truth quite well, and his story was so badly rewritten, all I could do was smile.  I thought about correcting him, but it meant that I would be involved in the gossip. What was the chance he would get the story right afterwards? I was sure he'd mess it up and then firmly state that he heard it from me. I don't need my friend thinking I've started a rumour about him. So I kept quiet.

We had friends that used to talk about others on a daily basis. Most of our conversations were of the gossip kind. We stopped being friends at one point for no reason but the fact that we drifted apart. In talking to my wife about the lost friendship, she hit a home run with her clarity.  I pondered calling them. She reminded me our friendship was dead. She said that our old friends talked too much about other people, including those who were close to them. There should be no doubt that they were also talking about us. Instinctively, we couldn’t identify the issue at the time. But she is right. They are good people. I love them. There will always be a special place in my heart for them. 

We can never be friends. We're fundamentally different when it comes to gossip.

I want to be around encouraging, honest people who have integrity, passion and energy.

Talking about someone in a negative light is a waste of conversation. Unless you’re trying to protect a friend from getting into a relationship with a sociopath or if you're trying to protect a friend's reputation, you should avoid it at all costs.

Ultimately, it's nothing but stinking thinking...