Gossip

So I have this problem with gossip.

Mostly, it's at work. I am a junkie for information, for data, for theories, for then taking all of that information and working out grand schemes about people and policies and directions and motives. I collect data like some collect baseball cards: carefully filed away by player and knowing the statistics on the top twenty cards.

And I use it. I use it the way nerds in high school use magic tricks to gain acceptance, demonstrating my industry experience, my knowledge and my ability to call a person or situation as a freshman would make a handkerchief disappear. It buys me currency in the realm of popularity and solidarity against those who often (it feels) treat me poorly or have my fate in their hands without any consideration of me.

But is it right?

The acid test is this, I suppose: Would I mention that information if they were in the room? Not the "Oh sure, in my mind I would do it (wind blowing in hair, courageous music playing in background) but "Would I do it and feel good about it if they were in the room but out of my sight (no wind, no music, just piles of paper and fluorescent lighting)?"

Done too long, this becomes an acidic canker in the soul, always eating away at every perceived intention and comment, carefully weighing words and motives to put them in the worst light or the light which is most helpful to my theories, not the reality - until one reaches the point that all motives and all theories are suspect except my own.

I was reminded this morning of 1 Peter 2:18: "Servants (employees, in this case), be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the kind and good but also to the harsh." Submissive, among other things, is not engendered ill will among others. Paul goes even further in Chapter 3 of Colossians by stating "But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth" (verse 8). It's as if Christ was whacking me over the head, saying "Does this engender respect of your leaders of work? Does this build a more cohesive work environment, or one where you get to be the most popular at the cost of the respect of others?"

And that most damning question of all, "Is it Christlike?"

I'm going to try an experiment: for one day, I'll say nothing involving gossip or negative language about my work situation or those in it. One day. Perhaps not much, but maybe it's a start.