Rumorists

Some say 99% of rumors in Malaysia turns out to be facts. Is that true? No doubt rumors have been a constant torn in today’s highly developed and yet narrow minded world. As a result of globalization and the perversion of privacy in every corner of the globe to every being of that same globe, the world all and all would one way or another be affected by - rumors.

The global economic crisis is testament to this. One of the big firms, Morgan-Stanley, stocks for this firm fell sharply due to rumors, started out by those who stand to gain from the loss of this big firm. The price of oil shot up during the June-July period because or rumors that oil would be scarce in several years time. Therefore, rumors are that dangerous.

Skip ahead to my point, rumors that are in those grand scales are worrying but it does not affect us directly. Sure we could lose our ability to provide sufficient food on the table in a couple of year’s time because of these global rumors, but I say, let the future us worry about that.

Unlike rumors spread concerning our private lives though. Don’t be a fool into thinking that since you’ve been extra nice to everyone it is impossible that anyone would ever create lies or misconstrue the truth about your life - that’s just childish.

Rasulullah s.a.w has already warned us about rumors, and we the people as usual, ignore such warnings (as we ignore several other warnings by him). Male, female and whoever you are of whatever gender you may be, cannot run away from rumors - creating one, joining one, being a victim of one or even over hearing one and reinvent your own version of those miscomprehended realities.

Sure probably half of the rumors you hear are true, but does the subject of that rumor really wants you to know the truth without him being consulted first? Is spreading news about one person without prior knowledge of the aforementioned person desirable?

At my age, the most constant rumor that swirls around is regarding one’s love life. This guy is with this girl, this guy likes this girl, this guy doesn’t like this girl but cannot turn himself away from her, etc. Fortunately this type of rumor does not affect your livelihood but does that little fact give you a huge relief? It probably does not.

Being a married man, I’m not worried about rumors that surround me - I doubt people talk about me that way anymore, anyway. However, I did hear some distasteful stuff about me before, in my university days. I don’t really mind because I never really found out the details. It’s not that I don’t want to - it just never reaches my ears.

I kind of like rumors about me. It shows that I’m thought of by others. Be it good or bad I don’t really mind. Good rumors are definitely welcomed. Bad rumors are slowly swept away under an already bulging rug. But as people continue to talk about me, at least my lone-ranger, island man, self-sufficient-self-made-man image I was trying to portray does not just leave a dumbass that people do not care about. I’m not ‘that guy who just passed by’.

Having said that, I don’t want rumors about me to destroy my reputation if it’s left untouched, i.e. not fixed, either. I’m not condoning rumors, I just think; it’s nice that people talk about me.

I worry for my friends though, in particular, one spectacle eyed boy.

Rumors are swirling and spreading like wild bonfires ready to engulf the surrounding boy scouts. He doesn’t mind, so that’s good. But he does worry about one thing, that it will ruin his relationship.

Now the question is this, why would he be worried if it’s not something that he wants?

I understand him thoroughly and I seriously do not condone rumors. It is one of the many things I hate, including among others, chewing with you mouth open (and creating those annoying nyap-nyap sound), disrespecting the elders, loud talkers who screams on top of their lungs to people mere inches away and lousy drivers who thinks signaling is lame and just so uncool.

Taking this to the blog is way out of hand so no more touching on this issue. I don’t want people to start spreading rumors about pink ponies, doctors or marriages now do I?