I watched Doubt last week and I felt it was a very timely commentary on the way we gather, interpret and dispense information in the world today.  How we form opinions, make judgements and base beliefs most times on gossip, rumors and hearsay.  It’s true of our media systems, rampant in our social networks and even lingering in our home and family lives.  I read some very hurtful words on our friend Will’s blog about The Remix project yesterday and was moved to speak on it, maybe not their particular situation,  but the situation we find ourselves in today as a society, as a people.  

I’m not trying to preach, wax on about the damage that gossip and assumption can do, I just want to use this post to act as a reminder of how hurtful it actually it is.  There is always an excuse for people who gossip about others, “well she puts herself out there like that then…”  ”Oh please, he’s got tons of cash he must be an ass therefore deserves a little judgement…”, “I’m allowed to have my opinion about anything and anyone I want…”  Well yes you are, you can have all the opinions you want, all I’m saying is try to back those opinions up with fact.  Try to stop judging people on first glance, if you care enough to waste any of the time in your super busy day to actually devote minutes (sometimes hours) to someone else’s life, take that extra step to sort out what’s fact and what’s fiction.  Especially when your words can be damaging to the subject’s life…

The part of Doubt that moved me so much was the story of ‘the pillow’.  I will give you the gist of that particular story.  

A woman goes to her priest to confess that she has committed a sin.  The sin she says she has committed is gossip.  The priest, angered by her seemingly innocent confession gives her a penance.  He tells the woman to take a knife and a feather filled pillow to the top of her building and cut a hole right down the middle of the pillow and then come back to see him at the church.  Confused, she goes home and does what she is told.  Later she returns to the church with the empty pillow telling the priest she has done her penance.  The priest says “now go out and collect all of the feathers and stuff them back into your pillow.”  She says that it’s impossible, the feathers must be all over town by now, it would be impossible to get them all back.  He replies by saying THAT IS WHAT GOSSIP DOES! Once it gets out, there is no control over where it goes or what it becomes and it is impossible to recover.  

All I’m asking anyone who’s listening to do, is to take a minute, think about what you say before you say it and know that if you aren’t sure that the information you have is true, it’s better left unsaid.  

I think this will act as my Dear Coco this week…. 

Loves you!

xoxo,

coco 

and just to p.s. all you peeps out there who have their own gossipy ideas of moi, I’m not mean, I’m actually really nice, honest and open so if you have anything you want to clarify please feel free to email me. catriona@cocoandlowe.com

oh, and no, I don’t only date rich white guys…. and Lowe isn’t a lesbian… LOL! 

pps watch this movie, philip seymor hoffman, amy adams, meryl streep… SICK!!!

DON’T HATE, APPRECIATE!  

ALL WE NEED IS LOVE

ZANG!