Gossip

Quite a bit has been said about gossip recently.
I have noticed how much information gets passed on "in your best interests to know" or "in strictest confidentiality" or "just for prayer of course".
This does incline me not to talk about some things 'cos I do not want the whole world knowing.

I know someone who is very confidential about things that have been shared with them. Even to the extent of not confirming that a word of knowledge about the situation is correct.

Someone else gave the illustration of lions in Africa which were being poisoned. The problem was traced to a herbicide the farmers were using on the grass, which the deers ate but were not affected by the chemicals, and then when the lions ate those deers the herbicide was poisonous to the lions.
The herbicide is like information that is not intended for us. It might not harm the person who passes it on to us, but it will harm us.
It might cause us to form an opinion which is not helpful. It might undermine what we think of a third person. It might tempt us to sin. It might make us aware of something we are better not knowing about.

I need to be careful what I do and do not say. Even if something is true I do not always need to say it. And so what if people will find out anyway... they don't have to find out because I have gossipped.