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Not long ago someone placed a handwritten message up on our post community bulletin board. It read;
"Rumors destroy lives! If you don't have anything nice to say about someone, then don't say anything at all."
The handwriting on the piece of paper made it obvious the writer was very upset. Either they were a victim of some rumors or someone they really cared about was a victim and they were expressing their anger to the community.
I know how that person feels because I've been a victim of gossip and rumors myself.
And if I did half the things that some of these rumors say I did, the MPs at the gate should either roll out the red carpet or pull out their pistols when they see me coming.
It's "unbelievable" how fast gossip and rumors can spread on small installation like Caserma Ederle here in Vicenza - Italy.
But I have to admit, some of these rumors did bother me at one time.
But not anymore, not after listening to some human behavior experts (or whatever they call themselves) on the Oprah, Leeza and Jenny Jones shows.
Now according to these experts, more than 50 percent of what people hear about others is false, misleading or exaggerated
information, and less than 50 percent is true. (Hmmm, now you know why the tabloids are always getting sued.)
There are two types of gossipers, the initiator and the spreader.
The initiator is someone who starts a rumor by talking about another individual to another person.
Then this other person becomes a spreader when he or she tells another person, and then he tells another person, and he tells another and so on.
As each individual tells another person, the information becomes more and more distorted and exaggerated. (Hmmm, sounds more like a virus, don't it?)
What type of person spreads gossip and rumors about another person?
The most common type is someone who is "jealous & envious" of another person's accomplishments.
For what reason? To destroy that person's reputation and creditability.
Maybe not directly and intentionally, but indirectly and discretely.
Yep, I know how that person who put that message on the bulletin board feels.
Because ever since I've written and published several military training handbooks, I too have been a victim of gossip and rumors.
And they weren't started by people who couldn't care less about me and my accomplishments, but rather by some "jealous & envious" active and retired military members in my US Army SETAF community.
Rumors "can" and "do" destroy lives, but only if you let them.
The next time you hear someone talking bad about another person, ask if they know that person personally or if they have ever worked alongside or socialized with them.
And if their answer is "no," then tell them to stop spreading gossip & rumors about a person they know nothing about.
Oh, I'm sure they'll deny that's what they're doing. But I guarantee they'll feel "lower than whale poop" when you suddenly turn and walk away without saying another word.
When it comes to gossip and rumors, "believe nothing what you hear and only half of what you see." Sound like some good advice?
You betcha!
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