When told that a newspaper had printed his obituary, Mark Twain quipped: “The rumours of my death are highly exaggerated.” Strangely enough, I found myself in a similar position the other day; a parishioner told me she had heard that “today was (my) last day.” I quickly reassured her that there was absolutely no truth to the rumour, and I’m here to tell you that if you’ve heard it, it ain’t true. As far as I know, I am still gainfully employed as the Pastor here at St. James Presbyterian Church in Chatham. If you know otherwise, please let me know, as it might be a bit of valuable information
Rumours are incredibly powerful and annoying things. With shotgun like inaccuracy they damage not only the people they refer to, but the teller and the listener as well. Like an invasive weed, they work their way into a conversation to choke out the truth. Wild and hard to stop, their tentacles seem appealing enough, masking as an innocent comment or a piece of information from a reliable second or third hand source. Unseating them is often impossible, because once their poison has spread, its effects linger on long after they have been debunked or uprooted.
Like a dance, it takes two to get a rumour to work. Without a listener, without someone to buy into their deception, rumours die on the vine. In fact, that is the only way to kill a rumour: hit with deaf ears they collapse into a powerless heap. The other option, if you’re lucky enough to be there at their origin, is to overwhelm them with the truth. Simply, emphatically and undeniably relay the true and correct information to the first rumour-teller and it will hopefully be stopped in its tracks. The truth is a powerful tool.
Unfortunately, it’s not easy to catch a rumour at its onset, and once it’s out, it’s out for good. The damage is done pretty much from the moment the first receptive ear takes it as a Gospel truth. The only solution at that point is not to be part of the lie. If it’s not first-hand, reliable information ignore it. In fact, don’t even let it get past the lips of the teller. Stop them dead in their tracks if you have any inkling that what’s being said is hurtful, unhelpful, or just a plain and simple distortion of reality, I realize it’s harder than it sounds, but it’s the only response to the weed known as a rumour.
Sure, I know that we’re all going to fall for one at one time or another. Rumours are so sneaky that we often don’t realize that we’ve been trapped in their tentacles until it’s too late. Still, even then, it’s worth putting a stop to it. Even if we’ve been part of the problem, we can put an end to our role as soon as we realize we’ve tripped up. It might not be a perfect solution, but it’s better than to continue spreading rumors.. A little apology to the victim wouldn’t hurt either. And of course, being once bitten should make us a little more careful the next time we hear an interesting tidbit from the same source. Better still, we can all try to be truth mongers rather than rumour spreaders. When in doubt, it’s best just to keep quiet; the rumours of that truth are not highly exaggerated.
Rumours are incredibly powerful and annoying things. With shotgun like inaccuracy they damage not only the people they refer to, but the teller and the listener as well. Like an invasive weed, they work their way into a conversation to choke out the truth. Wild and hard to stop, their tentacles seem appealing enough, masking as an innocent comment or a piece of information from a reliable second or third hand source. Unseating them is often impossible, because once their poison has spread, its effects linger on long after they have been debunked or uprooted.
Like a dance, it takes two to get a rumour to work. Without a listener, without someone to buy into their deception, rumours die on the vine. In fact, that is the only way to kill a rumour: hit with deaf ears they collapse into a powerless heap. The other option, if you’re lucky enough to be there at their origin, is to overwhelm them with the truth. Simply, emphatically and undeniably relay the true and correct information to the first rumour-teller and it will hopefully be stopped in its tracks. The truth is a powerful tool.
Unfortunately, it’s not easy to catch a rumour at its onset, and once it’s out, it’s out for good. The damage is done pretty much from the moment the first receptive ear takes it as a Gospel truth. The only solution at that point is not to be part of the lie. If it’s not first-hand, reliable information ignore it. In fact, don’t even let it get past the lips of the teller. Stop them dead in their tracks if you have any inkling that what’s being said is hurtful, unhelpful, or just a plain and simple distortion of reality, I realize it’s harder than it sounds, but it’s the only response to the weed known as a rumour.
Sure, I know that we’re all going to fall for one at one time or another. Rumours are so sneaky that we often don’t realize that we’ve been trapped in their tentacles until it’s too late. Still, even then, it’s worth putting a stop to it. Even if we’ve been part of the problem, we can put an end to our role as soon as we realize we’ve tripped up. It might not be a perfect solution, but it’s better than to continue spreading rumors.. A little apology to the victim wouldn’t hurt either. And of course, being once bitten should make us a little more careful the next time we hear an interesting tidbit from the same source. Better still, we can all try to be truth mongers rather than rumour spreaders. When in doubt, it’s best just to keep quiet; the rumours of that truth are not highly exaggerated.
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