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Rumour has it ...

Three simple words that can ignite a flame and spread like wildfire. Back in the day, when there was no telephone and mail took months to get to its destination, rumours or gossip was fairly contained; damaging nonetheless but contained. Today with emails, texts and social media, even a hint of a rumour can travel around the globe in seconds. We see it time and again, somewhere in the myriad of feeds, posts and emails there is truth weaved in many untruths.  Reminds me of the telephone game. We've all played it.  Everyone sits in a circle and one person starts by whispering something in a person's ear. That person then leans to the next person and whispers what he/she heard, and so on.  By the time the message has arrived to the last person it has little to no semblance of the original message. Same deal with rumours. When freshly formed, the rumour is handed over to a listener, who depending on their attention span, frame of mind and interpretation takes the juicy tidbit and echoes it to the next person. The evolution begins. Information is embellished and tweaked, with a stern insistence 'don't tell anyone.' But we know what that means. The receiver of the information often turns to a person who can be trusted with sacred information. As it will turn out, there are many, many trusted people. So you may be asking yourself, what's a little harmless gossiping? After all, you're just talking, texting, emailing, tweeting and posting; it's not like you're hurting anyone...or is it?

Rumours hurt people. The power of rumours can be devastating and sometimes deadly. Once released they are consumed as meat in a school of piranhas. The feeding frenzy can go on for a long time; all depends on what is being tossed in the water. When all is exhausted, there is nothing left but a bad after taste. A taste though that can easily resurface when another morsel has been cast in the water. And with rumours come judgements. Oh how quick we are to throw in our two cents, but what are those two cents worth? Nada. The problem is, the individual who is the centre of the rumour has to find a way to deal with it. Some let it wash over them like a water off a duck's back. Others though can be so traumatized and ...well we've seen too often what happens next.

So I urge you, next time someone comes to you and says 'rumour has it...' think of this...

"People who spread rumours are like walking infections. The lying words from their mouths spread like disease from person to person. The only way to stop the disease is to keep your mouth shut." Joyce Hansen

"Rumours are hearsay; they are told, believed, and passed on not because of the weight of evidence but because of the expectations by tellers that they are true in the first place." Erich Goode & Nachman Ben-Yehuda

"A plausible rumour seems a lot more believable than the truth itself." Kobo Abe

Fearless Friday

Phobias... for some, minor annoyances, for others debilitating.  You don't have to go far to find someone who has a phobia.  The list is countless and categorized. The intensity of the phobias vary. Why? Perceived threat, past experience or a natural aversion.  Whatever it is, phobias are real...to the phobic. I'm not afraid (excuse the pun) to admit that my phobias are water and heights. That's the short list.  Can't really explain it. Although I'd probably make a good study case. It's not from a lack of trying. I've approached my phobias from many angles. I've tried reasoning with it, overcoming it, fluffing it off, but I must sadly report that the battle of my right and left side brain continues.  I might add that the discussions are quite interesting.  Standing in a pool or on a bridge, I face my nemesis, and although my arguments are all well founded and reasonable, the attempts to act are met with an increased heart rate, a high pitched chattering in my brain that makes little to no sense and immobility. Yup, I panic.  Wish I didn't but the forces in this case are against me.  Now, I could go the rest of my life avoiding water and heights, don't know how some of my other phobias will work into this plan, but I've gotta say they really are bothersome. When I see others freely frolicking in water or climbing to incredible heights, I'm a little envious. I want that freedom to be able to explore and enjoy what the world offers. *Disclaimer, I'm in no way inferring that I will climb Mount Everest or swim the depths of the ocean.

What's peculiar is there are things in the lists of phobias I researched that I have a hard time understanding why someone would fear it, but then, they probably think the same thing of me.  At least I'm not a Phonophobia (fear of being afraid), hmmm, I may have to rephrase that ...

As I, and many others go about managing the phobias, there are some words of wisdom that may help..sort of.

"The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind, is fear." H.P. Lovecraft

"Courage is not the lack of fear, but the ability to face it." John P. Putnam

"Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is." German proverb

"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself..." FDR

For the love of ...

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, I thought it only fitting to pay tribute to it.  Love..what more can be said about it? It comes in so many forms and can bring great joy or pain. We've done everything humanly possible to interpret it, convey it and celebrate it. Which brings us to Valentine's Day. There are many versions of its origination; it seems to be tracked as far back as 2,500 years.  Needless to say, Valentine's Day has evolved into a significant celebration in our modern world.  We've come to associate the day primarily to lovers and the expectation of romantic dinners, flowers, chocolates, jewellery and affirmations of love in a card or poem; any one or combination is acceptable. Now that demonstration of affection by no stretch has gone the way of the dinosaurs, but the thinking is certainly changing.  No more is it just for couples; it is a day to celebrate love in any relationship and anything goes! See, it's not the gesture of giving things but the expression of appreciation and love for those who are important in our lives. When we show our love, we show our vulnerability, and in that, we trust that not only will it be reciprocated, it will be handled with care.  If you stop and think about it, Valentine's is only one of the 365 days of the year that we celebrate love. The other 364 days albeit are not quite as expensive :) It's easy though to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of life, that we forget to remind those we love just what they mean to us. 

So on that note, if I may leave with you some great quotes that I find particularly inspiring,

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
-Corinthians

"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage." - Lao Tzu

"All, everything that I understand, I understand only because I love." - Leo Tolstoy

"We come to love not by finding a perfect person but by learning to see an imperfect person
perfectly..." - Sam Keen



And to everyone, Happy Valentine's Day! May you give and receive love unconditionally.

What the blog??? ♥±☺≈☮

For those wondering if there is some cryptic message in yesterdays blog, ♥±☺≈☮ , The answer is...Only if you see one! Yesterday was Wordless Wednesday and it took a whole lot of restraint to avoid using words in the blog.

Now you are probably expecting some explanation or breakdown, but you know what, I'll leave it to you. The message is what you interpret it to be.  No right or wrong answer.  That is the beauty of writing and art.  It all comes down to the reader or the viewer. 

Yours,
In this crazy journey called life...

♥±☺≈☮