'GOSSIP', this term is not new to anyone, we all know what it is. We are all guilty of gossip, no one can beat his/her chest and say ' I've never gossiped ' because that would be like denying food and air. No man is an island, we live among people therefore talking about others is inevitable. We've got to talk about others to celebrate them, help them, humiliate them etc, am guilty of all these as well.
Gossip doesn't necessarily mean those humiliating malice intended comments. Just like every other thing, gossip has its it's good and bad side, ironically it's bad supersedes it's good.
'Do you mind if we pay Mrs Martha a visit, she look lonely and withdrawn since the unfortunate incident' This is an example of a good gossip, no sacasms, no malicious intentions, no one is at risk of losing anything.
'Did you observe Mrs Martha in church today, she looked lonely and withdrawn, I heard she caused the accident that took the lives of her husband and child, she deserves to be lonely and miserable. If you are ready let's go and visit her before I get labeled as the bad one' This is a pure example of a bad gossip and this is the main focus of this post.
The commonest and most popular means of spreading this kind of gossip is via the Internet. Rumors about personal issues passed on to others just for talk seek or comic relief can cause great harm to the victim; the person might be harmed emotionally and socially. The victim might have confided in someone he believed he could trust but gradually the conversation they had in secret became an open secret and then a public topic for gossip mongers.
Each time we share personal informations about others, probably their humiliations, misfortunes and other issues that doesn't need the public's opinion we reduce their self-esteem and destroy their reputation just for comic relief and maybe to spit the person. Even the Bible warns us about such conversations ( Proverbs 12:8 , there is one whose rash words are like sword thrust...)
Before we help in spreading rumors, we should always consider the negative consequences for the person and for ourselves. Gossiping to serve our own interest at the expense of others can make them think we have no intergrity, a talkative and someone that can't safeguard private information which would result to us losing their trust thereby reducing our value in their eyes.
When comments about others turn negative or sacastic, we should always stop and think
* How reliable is the source (Exodus 23:1)
* Is the information slanderous ( Proverbs 18:7)
We should always try to stop negative comments about others or better still not spread it whether the information seems or is true or not, personal is personal ( Philippians 4:8 , 2:4).
Comments
Post a Comment