Gossip is speaking about another in an unkind way. Whether it is true or false is not the issue. We must all learn to have integrity in our words. The following parable illustrates the irreparable damage of gossip.
One day a woman was spreading gossip about another villager,
later on she finds out that this gossip wasn't true.
She was upset that she had spread false information and
wanted to right her wrongs, so she traveled to the wise man of the mountains.
The wise man of the mountains told her that she must pluck
out all the feathers from a chicken, toss the feathers onto the road and wait
until the next day to collect all the feathers.
She did not question the wise man and so did exactly what he
told her.
The next day she returned to the wise man with only three
feathers in her hand. The wise man asked her what had happened to all the other
feathers.
She answered, a little upset that she could not find them,
they were all gone, lost.
She asked, what did this mean, the wise man responded that
gossip was just like the feathers, once they were tossed out into the road, the
wind would pick them up and spread them wide and far.
And that while you'd be able to pick up a few pieces here
and there, for the most part, the feathers were lost to the wind and the world.
Playing the victim in a situation and showing another in a negative light is just as bad as vicious gossip. We have all been guilty of this from time to time.
This path is not an easy one, but we did choose to incarnate this lifetime. Let us make sure we continue to keep our energy and hearts clear of speaking of others in a bad way.
Doing the Hoʻoponopono prayer (“I’m sorry. Please forgive me. I love you. Thank you.”) is a good way to release the past hurts you have given others or they have given you by gossiping. Try saying this: "I’m sorry. Please forgive me. I love you. Thank you.” with each situation or person involved and begin healing yourself and healing the world.
