Listen, I Don't Want To Know A Secret

   Just as a drop of water ripples throughout a pond, so do rumours spread through a school. Also similar to the drop of water as the ripples spread from their origin, or as time goes by, the ripples fade away and are lost in the pool. A drop doesn't look like a ripple and most gossip is not the same as the truth. Rumours and gossip are becoming more common than rain as communication devices advance. It now takes mere seconds for a rumour to reach your group of friends. To make matters worse no one seems to keep secrets anymore. Maybe it's just peer pressure, or maybe people just don't understand the value of trust anymore, either way this is a problem that needs to be stopped.
   In a world where trust is rapidly disappearing if you want something kept secret you should probably keep it to yourself. You should be able to trust your friends with anything, but you can't always. If you want to tell your friends a secret, but you don't know if they will keep it try testing them. Tell them a different secret that you don't mind being spread, but play up how embarrassing it is and how it should be kept only between you two. Wait a month and see if anyone knows your secret. I find it sad that I actually have to do this test and even sadder that I have had many people fail this test.
   Sometimes rumours aren't even started by someone saying something. If some cruel hearted jerk sees you change a facebook status change from relationship to single, they can take that as a go ahead to start spewing our their assumptions to people on why you broke up. Some will take this mean person seriously and pass on the gossip as if they acquired it first hand. Someone could have a horrible reputation and it could all be because someone wanted to share an opinion on something that was none of their business. At this point I just assume any gossip I hear is false, unless I know the person and know it is likely, then I ask.
   The worst thing about rumours is that before they fade away they get worse. As the rumour passes from person to person words are twisted and by the time it has been forgotten it is only a twisted and garbled version of it's original self. If you are not in a group of friends with the person you are hearing about then more often then not you are hearing the twisted version. Again just assume it's false if you don't know a person.
   Communication devices are the reason for them spreading faster, but why are there more of them now. I think the main problem is that people are more cliquey than they used to be. Everyone wants to have a clique and some greedy people want one of higher standings than their current one. When people want to talk they will find any excuse to talk,, even if that means sharing secrets that are not their own. When I feel awkward and feel the need to talk I bring up a new, random, and nerdy topic. Try saying something like, "So, how about the number 42. Describes life the universe, and everything pretty well doesn't it?" Just ask some random question or make a stupid observation that will get people to want to talk to you. My favourite conversation started I ever used was, "Do you know what colour an ompa loompa is?" I ended up talking to that person for nearly an hour. If that isn't better then a gossip induced conversation, I don't know what is.
   Be careful with your secrets. The bible says do not through your pearls at the feet of swine, so just like you protect your pearls you should also protect the secrets that are important to you. Just, because your secrets are safe does not mean you should try to spread others secrets. When someone asks, "Listen, do you want to know a secret?", just say no.

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Doctor Who Quote
Well we know the doctor isn't going to be sending rumours by e-mail anytime soon.

The Doctor: I hate computers and refuse to be bullied by them!