Thursday
Aug052010
Good Riddance!
August 5, 2010 
There are not so many things that I truly hate in this world, as I usually try to see the beauty that is in most things. But war, religion (hence most wars), dishonesty, injustice and gossip are the ones that really put me off. Big time, and always. I guess they put off most people by the way. One of the worst I find gossip. I honestly can't understand why people like to spread around negative stories about others. Does it make them feel better about themselves? Such a disgrace!! Go eat a bar of chocolate, indulge yourself with some new clothes, a big ice-cream with cranberry sauce and whipped cream! Or watch a brilliant movie, accomplish that long procrastinated chore, help an old lady cross the street, sell daffodils on daffodil day or have hot and steamy sex. In other words, do something useful to feel better about yourselves, instead of gossiping....
Marie's phone rang. She answered it with the usual ritual:"Good morning, XYZ company, my name is Marie, how can I help you? .... Oh, Phylis, is it you, how are you girl!! I'm good, I'm good, .... any news?" And it seemed as if those last two words had triggered something, because Marie's voice lowered to a profound and mysterious kind of whispering, just loud enough to follow what was being said, yet give the impression of secretiveness.
"What? Get out of here!! He did not!! Did he really??... .....And does she know?", Marie's eyes started to narrow and got that unearthly shine while her mouth was curling up in a complacent smile. "Well, I always knew he was a bit peculiar and unreliable, but who would have thought that he would go this far. I feel so sorry for her, don't you? Poor woman!" And with that conclusion Marie apparently was satisfied for the moment, because she ended the conversation quickly and hung up the phone, only to pick up the receiver once again and dial a number.
"Jenny? How's things! Now you listen to me, ..... have you heard what Graham did yet?.... Come here, ...... he was........".
And the poison spread further, tarnishing the life of a man who had no idea he was the subject of such vicious and malignant tongues. A good two weeks later the news came that Graham H. had hung himself in his prison cell just a few hours after he was arrested, for being unable to handle the accusations that were made against him. His wife was devastated and broke down in front of the camera, screaming that he had never fondled a 14 year old girl, not being his own kid, in the wrong way. Marie said to her husband after watching the news channel that she was 'glad the filthy pedophile was gone forever, cause now he couldn't harm innocent children again! Good riddance!!' She had sort of a smug expression on her face.
Gossiping can destroy lives, basically in the blink of an eye. Since 2008 and the brilliant motion picture 'Doubt' with the exquisite Meryl Streep playing the lead, I often illustrate how I feel about gossiping with the following quote by Father Brendan Flynn (played by Philip Seymour Hoffman): "A woman was gossiping with her friend about a man whom they hardly knew - I know none of you have ever done this. That night, she had a dream: a great hand appeared over her and pointed down on her. She was immediately seized with an overwhelming sense of guilt. The next day she went to confession. She got the old parish priest, Father O' Rourke, and she told him the whole thing. 'Is gossiping a sin?' she asked the old man. 'Was that God All Mighty's hand pointing down at me? Should I ask for your absolution? Father, have I done something wrong?' 'Yes,' Father O' Rourke answered her. 'Yes, you ignorant, badly-brought-up female. You have blamed false witness on your neighbor. You played fast and loose with his reputation, and you should be heartily ashamed.' So, the woman said she was sorry, and asked for forgiveness. 'Not so fast,' says O' Rourke. 'I want you to go home, take a pillow upon your roof, cut it open with a knife, and return here to me.' So, the woman went home: took a pillow off her bed, a knife from the drawer, went up the fire escape to her roof, and stabbed the pillow. Then she went back to the old parish priest as instructed. 'Did you gut the pillow with a knife?' he says. 'Yes, Father.' 'And what were the results?' 'Feathers,' she said. 'Feathers?' he repeated. 'Feathers; everywhere, Father.' 'Now I want you to go back and gather up every last feather that flew out onto the wind,' 'Well,' she said, 'it can't be done. I don't know where they went. The wind took them all over.' 'And that,' said Father O' Rourke, 'is gossip!'
Have a wonderful doubt free weekend!!!
Reader Comments (9)
So true, Marion, so true. I hate it, too, but have been surely guilty as charged at times in my life. It's one thing to be in on the giving end of it, but to be on the receiving end.... God have mercy on us all!
Your image is PERFECT for this post!
I just love the metaphor of the pillow in the wind and the image of the feathers flying everywhere..impossible to gather.
I'm with you. Gossip can be the most malicious and harmful of 'small talk'. I've often attributed it to 'small minds'. And 'Doubt' was a most powerful illustration and reminder of that.
Love the image. Love the words...and the message they carry. Excellent!
The image is perfect with the words. Good post ! I think gossip is boring, I'm not interested to know what others do in their private life, whether it is my neighbour or the queen.
I, too, love your metaphor of the pillow and the feathers. A really excellent message of the destructive power of gossip. Your image is the perfect illustration, as well. Well done!
having lived in small expat communities for a very long time now, i can so appreciate your post. gossip is rife with fishbowl living (luckily though where i am now there is a much bigger community and so anonymity is a somewhat easier status to achieve). but it wasn't always like that...and at first you can laugh it off, 'water off a duck's back and all', but it does get to be too much. in small town's you get known for being a gossip; they're still friends of mine, but i'm very very careful what i say, and somehow the friendship then isn't quite the same.
An interesting post and I too avoid gossip and am lucky enough to live a boring enough life, that I don't think I am the subject of much gossip. Although, I have to differ with being offput by religion, fighting about religion, being intolerant of other people's religions are perhaps, I hope, what I should have been reading into that line, religious freedom is a human right.
Hi Kath,
I was not intending to offend anyone by that line. Of course religious freedom is a human right. If only more people would understand and respect that!!
I have no religion Kath. I was excommunicated as a catholic at my 18th birthday and on my own request, as I could not agree with the religion my parents chose for me and forced upon me when I was a little kid and had nothing to decide for myself. As long as people fight over religion, claiming theirs to be the one and only true faith and use violence to force it upon others who think differently, I can't do else but hate religion.
I do hate gossip, although I have to admit that I'm not completely without guilt here. However, I am careful with some people and try to avoid gossip whenever I can. Great post with a very fitting photo!
I loved that scene in the movie, so true and the perfect illustration of what gossip can do. And you are right, I think it happens when people have nothing better to do. I think it is human nature sometimes, but one part of our nature that is worth attempting to overcome.
The photo was perfect.