Proverbs 17:9
He who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.
What of Today’s Verse…
"It’s just a little harmless gossip." The Wise Teacher reminds us that gossip is neither little nor harmless. Its consequences are huge and its damage horrible. Instead, it is much better to be a peacemaker and an offense-mender.
Let us Pray:
Father of Glory, I confess that I am often more a peace lover than a peacemaker. Give me the character not to repeat gossip, but instead have the wisdom and strength to be an offense-mender. Through the Prince of Peace I pray. Amen.
Words of Wisdom
Truth…
The big winner in the digitized, online world is the truth. With so much information power in the hands of so many people, the truth cannot help coming out. If some online business is charging high prices for low quality products, that fact will come to light almost immediately in the online community. It there’s a business opportunity that’s really a scam, people will be quickly warned. If some company is making false claims, those claims will be quickly and effectively disputed.
There is no central authority that controls all of this. It occurs because of the sense of right and wrong that resides in all members of the online community. For centuries, our morality has been codified in laws, and we’ve given our community leaders the rights and the resources to enforce these laws. Now the Internet has sprung to the forefront as the community of choice for millions of people. On the net, because information flows so freely and is so widely available, there is no need for a structured legal system or designated enforcers. Access to information, as well as a common-sense distinction between right and wrong, is enough to maintain order. It is a very positive commentary on the people who make up the online community. And it is a very positive commentary on human nature in general.
Laws and law enforcers are subject to corruption because they concentrate power in the hands of a few. This leads to all sorts of distortions when we attempt to transfer the concepts of morality to a structured system of legality. On the Internet, people are, in effect, free to make and enforce their own laws, based on their own concept of right and wrong. While it is easy to imagine how such a system could lead to chaos and anarchy, which is not what has happened.
The Internet is the closest we have ever come to a free, open worldwide marketplace. And in a free market, resources, power and wealth naturally flow to those who provide the highest value. And what we’re beginning to see is that this is true not only in an economic sense, but in a moral sense as well.
