Rumours and Gossip

 

There are a lot of rumours and gossip going around at the moment. Now my view is that we should never listen to gossip. You see, if you listen to gossip about someone the whole relationship and balance between two people changes. If I hear something about someone, then there is no way I will see that person in the same light again. Even if the gossip is totally wrong and untrue; suddenly the human psyche has been "hypnotised" and we'll always have a sneaking suspicion about that person. "What if the rumours are true ..." the devil will whisper in your ear. And that's unfair on the poor victim of gossip because he has had his good name taken away. And that is stealing - one of the Ten Commandments as I remember.

Now about rumours. There's a rumour amongst some of our church folks that we are near the end of times. All the signs are there, they say. Wars, famine, poverty, epidemics, trouble and strife and so on. Also, the light bulb on the stand next to my computer has just gone out - totally dead. Now there's a sign, some would say.

Well, that might be true or it might be wrong. My take on this is that every day is a day nearer to the end of times. Whether it happens tomorrow or next week or in a thousand years from now, it is still a day nearer.  

Remember back in 2012 people were convinced that it would be the end of the world? Well, I was the only one to know different. I was sure it would not happen. You see, 2012 was the year of the London Olympics and as a country we had spent a fortune preparing for it. There was no way the Government would have allowed the end of the world to happen before getting back the benefits of all that money spent.

Now another rumour around here is about our neighbour down the road; a lady called Edna. Apparently, according to another neighbour, Edna wears wigs. Different coloured ones, Blonde, jet black, light brown and even a light tint of violet or blue. I often wondered why her hair was different colours, and I thought she dyed her hair. But I'm told it's different wigs. Apparently she washes them in the washing machine and hangs them out to dry in the back garden. As with all gossip; I'll never see Edna in the same light again.

And yet another rumour in our neighbourhood is about cats. Or one cat in particular. Apparently there's a big cat around. I'm not sure how big. Some folk says he's as big as a small dog, or a medium sized dog, or a big dog, or an elephant even ... depending on which neighbour you listen to. It is said he roams the streets at night and has been seen by some people; or to be precise, they saw his shadow as he passes by the street's lamp posts casting a menacing figure against the walls of the houses.

Worse still, I have been told by a friend, that a man living three streets down from here, has been told by his cousin, that his colleague down at the factory in town, has it on good authority that this large cat steals bicycles.

Can you imagine that? A big cat who steals bicycles! Whatever next? Crime of epidemic proportions. What if this cat gets a liking for motorcycles, or cars? 

I think all these rumours are getting out of hand. I'll stop listening to them. I'll sit in front of the TV and watch the news instead. At least this is the honest, well researched, and authentically verified truth.