05.05.05 The 3rd Practice for Avoiding Negative Gossip : Show Disinterest

Show Disinterest

You can avoid engaging in negative gossip by showing disinterest in such conversations; which in itself curtails bad rumours since gossipers thrive on audiences. In other words, where there is no one to listen, the discussion just dies out.

When my colleague conveyed the hot and huge rumour about the sister at church, I avoided displaying any keen interest or curiosity in what she (colleague) was saying. That is to say, I did not show any appetite to delve deeper into the minister’s shortfalls as that would have invited more gossip.

Reading Aaron’s story in Exodus 32:1-2, you notice that the man expressed interest in the negative gossip that the children of Israel ferried to him, as shown by the fact that he asked for their jewellery. Much as Aaron gave them an audience as a leader, he should have rebuked the negative gossipers rather than getting so interested to the point of obliging their request and moulding a golden calf for them.

In the JuaLink story, one effective way that the prayer partners could have stopped gossiping was by showing disinterest in the rumours that were being brought to the fellowship, apart, of course, from praying about issues raised. With no platform, Lulu would have eventually been discouraged from ferrying rumours to ‘disinterested’ partners under the guise of prayer points; and, that would have surely gone a long way in cutting back the gossip during those gatherings and also in the Agency’s corridors. On the other hand, Sarah must have used ‘disinterest’ to successfully keep herself free from the vice despite attending the same fellowship as the chronic gossipmongers. Although she (Sarah) continued to turn-up, there was no way that the prayer partners could pull her to participate in the habit.