Could you, would you...? ( Archived) (23)

Steveno: If you had the chance to hear all the nasty things people have said about you behind your back, would you like to know?

It would hurt too much. I just don't see the point. Ignorance is bliss, or at least less painful than hearing nasty things.

Others say, "Yes, I do want to hear all the nasty things. I'd find out who my real friends are".

You know, if that was the only way I could find out who my real friends were, I'd take a long, hard look at the quality of my relationships and the caliber of the people I spent time with. Think about it. What you hear in gossip is a poor way to measure friendship.

I already know who my real friends are. I'm not worried about them spouting crap about me. In general, the people to whom I'm closest are not the kind of people who typically have a whole lot of interest in bad-mouthing others, not really.

But damn! We're not perfect. Nobody is. You can't help talking trash about, well, trashy behavior. For example, if I saw people screaming at each other in the Staples parking lot, oblivious to everyone and everything around them, yeah, I'd talk about them, LOL. The truth is, bizarre or anomalous behavior, whether online or off, is something people - me included - will always discuss...for five minutes, maybe. The negative appeal fades pretty fast.

My few real friends and I, for the most part, talk about ideas, events, and things. What's going on in our lives with school and work? Our families. Our hopes and dreams. Art, books, movies, music, psychology, writing, philosophy, history - and humor. Thank God for humor.

So...why subject myself to hearing all the nasty things other people, who aren't my friends, say? I don't especially care. It's not like they're part of my life, anyway.