I little while ago I was waiting at an office and could not help but overhear the conversation between two women who were in the same waiting room. As I listened to them, I was almost sickened. I really cannot do justice to their conversation in a brief blog, but suffice it to say that for a good 10 minutes or more, they went on trashing a person that I happen to know, because they felt like she was a "drama queen" because she had openly discussed on Facebook her battle with an eating disorder. They could not stop there, but they slandered this young woman's life in ways that I will not even go into as they called her some pretty nasty names and made insinuations about her life. I finally had enough and said, from across the room, "I've had enough of you slandering and trashing the name and reputation of someone whom I know and care for! You have no idea what you are talking about and to impugn her character and integrity the way you are tells me a whole lot more about the two of you than I really care to know. How DARE you say such things about (her name) when neither of you have the guts or integrity to look her in the eye and say such things? You ought to be ashamed of yourselves!" One of them started to respond, but I cut her off and said, "If either of you had the guts, talent or grace of (her name) you wouldn't know what to do with it. If you want to trash someone, I can't stop you, but I'm not about to sit here and listen to you trash the name and reputation of someone who I know to be a FAR better person than the two of you put together!" They just looked at me for what seemed an eternity and got up and walked out of the room.
I'm sure that I'm probably be talked about right now, but I don't care. I think we'd all be a lot better off if more of us would silence people like this when we have the opportunity. Yes... I know... and I'm waiting for it. There will be those who take the opportunity of this blog entry to trash my name and reputation and talk about what a horrible person I am. Go ahead, I'm quite used to it by now.
4 comments:
It's okay if you lose it every now and then Darrell; you are only human after all!
Quite contrary. What is always popular is not always right, what is right is not always popular. Taking a stand and defending someone to that degree takes a hell of a lot more courage than those 2 ladies would ever possess. I would bet my last dollar that if the roles were reversed, meaning someone was slandering someone they cared for based on something the other didn't know about, they would sit back and do nothing.
"Speak the truth in love" my friend. The Bible doesnt teach us the style of delivery, just speak the truth in love. Kuodo's to you my friend for telling it like it is.
I believe you did the right thing! The problem with today's society & especially Christiandom is that we sit idly by & let sin happen & let people's lives be destroyed. We have absolutely no clue what is going on in someone's life & we should always choose love. That is one of my declarations for this year. Thank you for doing what you did! You chose live in standing up for your friend & whether these two women realize it or not right now, you also chose love for them in your correction of how they were gossiping about your friend.
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