On gossip

"Nothing travels faster than light, with the possible exception of bad news, which follows its own rules." 

-Douglas Adams

Why do we like to gossip? It gives us so much pleasure to talk ill of others. Spreading rumours, back-bitching, and in general defacing a third party fills us with joy and glee. Perhaps it is that we take solace in the misfortunes of others as they help us forget, however temporarily, our own. Maybe we do it to hide our own shortcomings from others, and more importantly, from ourselves. A person with soiled clothes would naturally enjoy throwing mud at others. If one thinks about it rationally though, it would be a much better world if people with soiled attire simple cleaned up their acts instead of seeking to mar others. 

Another leading cause of gossip is idleness. It is a well known fact that people who have nothing to do, babble. after all, an idle mind is the devil's workshop.

On a side note, I watched the movie 'The Invasion' yesterday. It is a remake of the 1978 film, 'Invasion of the body snatchers.' I found the new film to be very enjoyable in the sense that it manages to create a tense atmosphere in the first few minutes and manages to sustain it throughout. What I liked most about it though is the question that it poses, 'would the world really be a better place if human beings lost their primal instincts and became in the real sense, civilized? More importantly, would they still be human?'

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The song for today is 'Hallowed Be Thy Name' by one of the greatest bands of all time, Iron Maiden.