A Short Story On Gossiping And It's Consequences
The Story
Far away in a little town in the Eastern part of Nigeria, there lived a one religious woman who decided it was time to go to the village priest to confess her sins. One of the sins she did confessed was gossiping. For atonement sake, the priest made her to fill a basket with feathers and put a few in the backyard of each person she had gossipped about. She went out and gathered the feathers carefully putting them into the backyards of each person she had gossipped about. Having completed her penance, she went back and told the priest that she had done what he told her to do and that her penance was complete. The priest responded, "no woman". " You must now go back into the backyards of each of the people and gather up all the feathers again". She quickly shouted in amazement and said "I can't do that. By this time the wind has scattered them far away" . "Exactly! the priest said". That is what happens when you tell things about other people that should have been kept a secret.
Lessons From The Story
Gossip spreads so fast and so quickly that you are unable to go back and gather up what you have said. None of us can call back the words which once we have spoken. Often there are things which are absolutely true but should not be told to others. Imagine for a moment, yourself, in a place of the person that is being gossipped about. Suppose you had done something foolish that you regretted, something wrong that everyone knows about? Wouldn't it be unfair if people talk about that to others. So before you sit somewhere to gossip about other people, ask yourself whether you would like to have such things said about you, if you had done that same unwise thing. Gossip helps nobody, not even the one who spreads it.
Why Do People Gossip?
- I have come to realise that one reason why people gossip is to create excitement. Some people like to see others emotionally stirred up when they talk about other people. They try to create a kind of attention of always being the first to know and tell so they can feel very important among their peers
- Also some people gossip to make their peers feel entertained. If in case the original information isn't entertaining enough, they try to generate more attention and response on the part of the listener. They don't just stop there with what they have heard, they add more lies just to make what they saying interesting and entertaining.