Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. . . But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it . . .
~~ Gautama Buddha aka Siddhārtha Gautama
I was thinking about how rumors get started today, particularly since this rumor could potentially affect me. Firstly, I don’t engage in gossip or the spreading of rumors, and if I do hear about it I’m one of the first to squash it. Secondly, if it involves me, I’m on the hunt for the person who started it so I can set them straight.
It never ceases to amaze me how quickly rumors get started and I’m always astonished at how easily people buy into them. I really don’t understand the need for people to start rumors or gossip. I often say that their own lives must be pretty messed up, so they start these negative rumors about others in order to: 1) make themselves feel better, 2) bring someone down to their level, 3) try and make someone else look bad or feel bad.
As Rodney King put it during the 1992 Los Angeles riots “Can’t we all just get along?”
The Broken Spine 