Our legal system knows that we humans like to repeat what we hear. More accurately, what we overhear. What we’re told. What gets shared in the grocery store or the lobby of the Post Office or the parking lot of the church. What’s whispered at the back of the room behind a cupped hand. Much of what we hear could fall into the category of gossip. And what goes around may or may not be worth repeating.
Dictionary.com defines gossip as “idle talk or rumor, especially about the personal or private affairs of others.” For most of us, when we hear the word “affairs” we immediately jump to the subject of infidelity rather than the business of daily living. But really now, is reported information about either marital indiscretion or buying beer at Food Lion, when it involves the lives of others, ours to share? Does it bear repeating?
It has been said, “I hear, and I forget; I read, and I remember; I do, and I understand.” There’s an ounce of truth in those words. But there’s also the weightier reality of, “I hear, and I repeat what I hear.” And what is repeated is seldom a chunk of goodness that has landed in the lap of another. Why is it only the messy darkness of someone else’s human life we relish dissecting and discussing? What is achieved as stories circulate from one to another without direct verification from the subject of those stories?
What truly is worth repeating? Much in educational systems seems to hinge upon a process of ingestion and regurgitation, hearing and/or reading information and then spitting it back in a form that is acceptable to whatever standards have been set. Many religious traditions emphasize the absorption and repetition of doctrine or Scripture as a litmus test for inclusion in a community. Are remembering and recitation the most important skills we humans need to hone as we move about on this planet?
A box of tea bags bears these simple instructions, “Open. Sip. Smile. Repeat.” It is presumed that the experience of drinking this tea will be pleasurable, comforting, nourishing. If that’s the case, it is worth repeating! As another new year has been freshly hatched, perhaps we might give some thought to what is worth repeating, both in word and deed. Once we discern what that is, we will do well to keep a drawerful of it wide open for easy access, savor its sweet taste on our lips, delight in the sturdy assurance it affords both the recipient and the giver, and then repeat often and everywhere. Imagine: in how many ways may we say and do love?
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