talebearer

Beware the Talebearer

“Listen not to a tale- bearer or slanderer, for he tells thee nothing out of good-will; but as he discovereth of the secret of others, so he will of thine in turn.” – Socrates

It would prove wise counsel to beware the talebearer. The talebearer is an extremely slanderous and scandalous person. He speaks with a forked tongue that is as deadly as the venom of an Egyptian cobra. He weaves a web that is more intricate than that of a venomous spider, ensnaring and entangling his unsuspecting victims. The talebearer often knows a minuscule of the truth, and even that truth which he professes to know in time becomes twisted and distorted, resulting in one vicious lie after another being told. Seeking after the truth, or even telling the truth has never been, and never will be his forte. Instead he basks in the hate and discontent that he causes by spreading malicious falsities.

Those who dare to associate with the talebearer place themselves in peril. At first he may seem as harmless as a lamb, but once he has gained favor, his true identity as a ravenous wolf comes to light. He will lure you into his den and hold you captive there. He will not release you until you agree to take part in his devious behavior. In time you will become just like him, a slanderous and scandalous person who spreads malicious falsities, causing undue malice and discontent.

And so, it proves a foolish adventure to want to tread upon the playground of the talebearer. If perchance you do happen to stumble upon his playground, it is to your advantage to vacate immediately. It will proffer you nothing but relentless stress and heartache to stay and try to befriend him, for he is not the true friend of anyone. He only seeks to rally innocent victims to champion his cause. He is cold-hearten and ruthless, and when he gets the opportunity, he will use you as the subject of the next tale that he bears.

All of us are probably guilty at one time or another of participating in idle gossip and hearsay. How many times have we been a part of a conversation that begins something like the following: “I don’t know if it is true or not, but I heard that ____”? And we can each fill in the blank. How many times have we been found guilty of being the starters of such conversations?

Hearsay is like loose cannon fodder that strikes whatever happens to be in its path. It is like a rattle snake lurking in the weeds and bushes waiting to inject its deadly venom into its next innocent victim. It is the cog that turns the perpetual wheel of contention and strife. It is of no intrinsic value or worth unless there can be found a meager thread of evidence that substantiates that what is being said bears any resemblance to the actual truth.

Oftentimes whenever the person that started the proverbial ball of confusion rolling is questioned as to where they got their information, the response is usually that they heard it from ____, who heard it from ____, and it could go on ad infinitum.

Perhaps it all started with the victim of the hearsay sharing a matter in confidence with a “friend”, and that “friend” in turn told a “friend” who told a “friend”, and so forth and so on. What started out as a private conversation between two confidants ends up becoming the headline story on the front page of the local town gossip newspaper or, nowadays going viral on Facebook, Twitter, or other social media venues. Even the news media thrives on such material, typically with disclaimers such as, “It was reported in the ____ Times that ____”, or “Reliable government sources indicate that ____”. When all is said and done what may even have started as an absolute truth becomes a distorted web and hodgepodge of fabrications and lies with maybe a miniscule of truth mixed in for flavor.

Instead of continuing to drink from the dregs of a bottle of deadly poison, would it not prove to be of greater worth to go to the subject of the hearsay and obtain the actual facts and ultimately the truth? The least we can do is not pass it on unverified.