PROSE 2: GOSSIP

Many folks live pretentious lives. Jesus called Pharisees and Sadducees hypocrites; now who is a hypocrite? It is a person who imagines being one thing, while being another, pretend to be pious and good, soft spoken, gentle and a peace lover, but is just the opposite within. A person, who pretends to believe certain doctrines, professes the same, while the heart disbelieves them, a person in short who is a scoundrel, and knows it, but who does not intend others to know it: who will deceive others but not himself or herself.

However there is also another category of a hypocrite, a more common one by far, and that is the hypocrite who not only deceives others, but deceives oneself likewise; the hypocrite is astonished that you should think him or her hypocritical. A charlatan is also a person who loves to paint oneself as the best, the most experienced, and methodical, a person with innumerable values embodied in his or her person hood but when it comes to practical living and actual work does nothing at all. The tools used often are twins: backbiting and gossiping. Well in this competitive world full of jealousy, greed and envy, we must be aware of such evils that loom all around! Let us be careful of these twin evil darts that can get hurled at us. It is also important that we don’t use such darts on others and destabilize them. It is always better to be absolutely straightforward even if the risk factor is great.

Backbiting is to speak against someone behind his/her back with an evil heart. This is absolutely wicked in the sight of God. The term backbiting refers to a form of slander that is made not to a person’s face but behind their backs. It is so because the accuser is either shaming, or lacks the moral courage to make the accusations directly to the one they are finding fault with. King David referred to backbiting by means of the Hebrew word ‘Raw gal’ which means spying or tattling. Gossiping helps get an ego boost from the mistakes or embroidered/misrepresented so called errors of others. It makes one feel superior and perfect. Gossip and backbiting are also tools used by a hypocrite to split up friends, working groups and teams, disrupts work in an institution and demolishes marriages, parties and governments. Such is the attributes of humans, animals often are so much better than us. I am sure that just as we tell ourselves – ‘don’t have the animal spirit’ or ‘don’t behave like a wild animal’ animals in turn might be advising their folks not to live like humans or behave like humans !!!

Most of the trouble in the world today is set rolling by the activities of backbiters and backstabbers. They may be faceless and nameless in this planet inhabited by myriad humans, but they are there to destroy peace and harmony. In fact they are one of the most trusted agents of the Devil.

~~ Crystal David John :)