RE: Spicy gossip --- The UGLY entertainment
Gossip is really an evil quality. Yes, I too use the evil word deliberately, although I certainly cannot absolve myself of ever having engaged in gossip. Fortunately, that has been kept to a minimum in the course of my life experience. Haha, that makes you lonely in certain circles then.... Feels better though! Especially when you know how nasty such gossip can hurt someone (even if you yourself think "that" would have been quite harmless now).
The problem of gossip, of bullying, has always existed (the comparison with Anne, written in a completely different time, is consequently well suited to prove this thesis), as is the power of the media, which can multiply the whole dilemma fast. The power of "social" media is new. As a teacher, I had to mediate almost daily because someone had posted something about someone in a WhatsApp group that I knew nothing about. Not infrequently, parental talks were necessary, even calling in psychologists, to get a child - indeed mostly girls who were victimised by girls - to at least leave the house again and come back to school at some point... Evil!
That's true. We never know when even seemingly fun gossip can turn into a baseless rumor. And I'm also not entirely absolved of this habit either. As I mentioned in my blog, the temptation to engage in gossip and paint someone in a negative light is often there, especially when underlying emotions are involved. But we need to have a reality check now and then.
As a mom of a teenage daughter, I'm sometimes at my wits' end when something like this happens. We can't control how people behave but we can educate our children and discourage this behavior. My Children can talk to me about their feelings and even their hatred for someone, but I always discourage them from engaging in any tittle-tattle and backbiting with their peers
Below is a dialogue of our Prophet with his companions about this:
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
'Do you know what is backbiting?' The Companions said: 'Allah and His Messenger know best.' He said: 'Backbiting is talking about your brother in a manner which he dislikes.' It was said to him: 'What if my brother is as I say.' He said: 'If he is as you say, you have backbitten him, and if not, you have slandered him.'" (Sahih Muslim)
This is the gravity of this transgression that even if the contents of gossip have truth in them, it's still highly disliked. And we don't shy from adding even more spices to it.
The quote from your prophet is a very wise statement from a very great philosopher!
There are similar parables in our Bible, and in Buddism in particular, the high art of constant balance in all thoughts and actions is a sign of imminent enlightenment.
Only a few are and were enlightened on this earth. Prophets... So the "ordinary" human being has a lot to do, but can and should at least make an effort...
Yes, it's the effort that counts. To err is but human. Maintaining equilibrium and mindfulness is a key aspect of spiritual growth and a sign that someone is on the right path. And almost every 'belief system' out there preaches the same thing.