Thou Shalt Not....

gos·sip/ˈgäsip/

Noun:	Casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, typically involving details that are not confirmed as being true.
Verb:	Engage in gossip.
Synonyms:	noun.  tittle-tattle - tattle - scandal - slander - rumour verb.  tattle - tittle-tattle - talk - chatter - babble

 "If A equals success, then the formula is A = X + Y + Z, with X being work, Y play, and Z keeping your mouth shut."  Albert Einstein

"What you don't see with your eyes, don't witness with your mouth." Jewish Proverb

"Live in such a way that you would not be ashamed to sell your parrot to the town gossip." Will Rogers
Spending the last week of the summer here at Pine Lake, I have been thinking a lot about gossip.  Often, when someone hasn't been at Pine Lake for a few days, the first question they ask is -- so, what's the gossip?  It's not that people are mean -- they just don't want to feel out of the loop.  They want to know what's going on.  But where do you draw the line between just reporting about the day, or trying to work out your feelings about something that occurred, and gossip?

The yamas and niyamas are the ethical precepts in the Yoga Sutras.  They are the first and second limbs of yoga and one is supposed to embrace and strive to master them before undertaking the physical asana postures.  Without the yamas and niyamas, yoga is just physical exercise.  By observing the yamas and niyamas, yoga can transform not only your body but your mind and your life.  The yamas and niyamas all flow from the first yama, "Ahimsa" - which means do no harm. 

Divisive speech -- words that cause someone to think ill about someone else -- are certainly harmful.  And I know when I'm crossing the line between just reporting about something and speaking divisively.  I get an icky, sour feeling, the way Edmund must have felt in The Chronicles of Narnia as he ate the White Witch's turkish delight.  You know it's not good for you or anyone else, and yet you just can't help yourself once you get started.  Why?

Psychologists say there are several reasons people gossip.  To feel superior, to get attention, out of jealousy or a desire for revenge, for control or power, or out of boredom.  Among my friends and family, the last reason is a driving force.  When you're sitting around on vacation, there's often nothing better to do than talk about other people. 

Interestingly enough, there are almost as many websites devoted to "How to Stop Gossiping" as there are sites whose sole content is gossip.  Here is a good article about stopping gossip, with a step by step approach.  Let me know your thoughts... 

Thank you for visiting! If you are so moved, please leave a comment. Hearing from you means the world to me.