A woman was gossiping with a friend about a man she hardly knew— I know none of you have ever done this—that night she had a dream. A great hand appeared over her and pointed down at her. She was immediately seized with an overwhelming sense of guilt. The next day she went to confession.
She got the old parish priest, Father O’Rourke, and she told him the whole thing. “Is gossiping a sin?” she asked the old man. “Was that the hand of God Almighty pointing a finger at me? Should I be asking your absolution? Father, tell me, have I done something wrong?”
“Yes!” Father O’Rourke answered her. “Yes, you ignorant, badly brought-up female! You have borne false witness against your neighbor, you have played fast and loose with his reputation, and you should be heartily ashamed!”
So the woman said she was sorry and asked for forgiveness. “Not so fast!” says O’Rourke. “I want you to go home, take a pillow up on your roof, cut it open with a knife, and return here to me!”
So the woman went home, took a pillow off her bed, a knife from the drawer, went up the fire escape to the roof, and stabbed the pillow. Then she went back to the old parish priest as instructed. “Did you gut the pillow with the knife?” he says.”Yes, Father.” “And what was the result?” “Feathers,” she said. A world of feathers.
“Feathers?” he repeated. “Feathers everywhere, Father!”
“Now I want you to go back and gather up every last feather that flew out on the wind!”
“Well,” she said, “it can’t be done. I don’t know where they went. The wind took them all over.”
”And that,” said Father O’Rourke,“is gossip!”
Father Brendan Flynn, played by Philip Seymour Hoffman In the movie ‘Doubt’
Oct 10, 2013 @ 11:31:17
the world is too small for gossip
Oct 10, 2013 @ 11:52:06
If one reacts to malicious gossip you are as guilty as the person who spreads it.
Oct 10, 2013 @ 12:25:37
Indeed we all have a part in it… talking and listening… Barbara
Oct 10, 2013 @ 12:35:16
True, it is human nature to talk about people 🙂
But it is also important not to spread false stories.. Or believe them.
Oct 10, 2013 @ 16:32:34
I meant to continue saying… and we can all better be more conscious of what we do and choose not to be anything but true to ourself and others… Barbara
Oct 10, 2013 @ 17:10:26
True, but mostly people believe what they WANT to believe even if it is malicious gossip. Humans are destructive?
Oct 10, 2013 @ 17:35:23
Everyone has a choice to experience being destructive or not… but many people don’t take responsibility for themself… they are so busy blaming, pointing the finger at others… But we are actually each others reflection…
Oct 10, 2013 @ 17:38:00
Yes one can choose to destroy, you are right. It is a choice. So very sad to ruin a relationship on the basis of gossip with malice as motive.
Oct 10, 2013 @ 21:28:21
Isn’t it amazing how quickly we beiieve bad untruths about someone, and how reluctantly we accept good truths?
Oct 10, 2013 @ 21:57:30
Yes a sick pleasure in believing the worst of others. These days you often read about cases where teenagers commit suicide after they receive abusive and bullying messages on FB. It makes my blood run cold to see how cruel kids can be and how they pick on one. No sense of guilt or regret. The truth does not seem to play any role whatsoever.
Oct 11, 2013 @ 02:16:58
If people would only stop and think.
How would I feel?
Would I want that said of me?
Do I really need to do this in order to feel more important, liked, etc?
It’s tough being human. We should try not to make it tougher.
Oct 11, 2013 @ 06:29:35
But then the majority of people never consider the disastrous consequences.For others and for themselves.
😦
Oct 11, 2013 @ 12:04:12
😦
Oct 17, 2013 @ 07:12:43
i loved that one, it`s true, gossip is something that once out there you can`t reel it in.:-)
Oct 17, 2013 @ 07:14:35
Wonderful movie Doubt – if you have the opportunity watch it.