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Gossip

Lately it struck me how easily we talk about other people in a negative way, all too often considering ourselves superior.
That is of course our personality at work: the wounded part in us searching to demean others out of insecurity.
Yet everything is energy — every heavy thought or word is a poisonous arrow shot into the magnetic field of the other person, for sure touching them, and inevitably returning to us in one way or another. 
It reminds me of a story about Socrates, a sage who lived in ancient Greece.
One day someone said to him: "Do you know what I just heard about your friend?"
Socrates responded, "Just a second. Before you speak, let me ask you three questions.
Is what you are about to tell me true ?" 
"I don't know, I haven't seen it myself, I heard it from someone else."
"Very well. Is what you want to tell me something good?"
"No, not really."
"OK, so you want to tell me bad things that you're not even sure are true.
 Here's my last question: is it useful to tell me these things about my friend?"
"Useful? No, I don't think so."
"All right, if what you want to tell me is neither true, nor good, nor useful, then I don't want to hear it.
 And I advise you to forget it."