" It all started out as a small rumor; a harmless and innocent story. It was told with very few words, much like a whisper. The rumor was passed on in an idle conversation to a friend. Like a virus, that friend had the rumor stuck in his head.

The rumor was soon passed to that person's friend, but told differently. More information was added, created from the depths of his imagination. His friend heard every word of it, believing it word for word. Now in shock of how serious this rumor was, he rushed to tell everyone about it.

Again, it was passed and was told to a larger group. More imaginative added information was snowballed into the rumor, and with a mixture of an exaggerated tone of voice and his dramatic story telling, the rumor now became a large exaggerated FACT to many, spreading form person to person like wild fire.

Eventually, the harmful and menacing rumor reach back to the first one who spoke of it. While explaining the heavily exaggerated tale of the rumor everyone is talking about to the first person who spoke of it, the original storyteller simply shrunk the rumor back down to the bare and harmless state it was first told."

I did this four panel illustration some time ago. A particular event, which will remain the 'poof rumor', inspired me to create this. This 'poof rumor' escalated rather quickly once it was leaked out to the public. A lot of stories were spread about the 'poof rumor' on and offline, each story had a different view point, a different take, idea, wording and logic behind it. It got so lost in the sea of exaggerated rumors and stories that the original truth of the 'poof rumor' was lost. There was a lot of fighting and hurtful words tossed about by various story tellers and listeners. What started off as a personal/private matter was turned into a verbal arguments and violent public debates with those who did not know the exact truth or story behind the 'poof rumor'. Even when the truth about the 'poof rumor' was told and explained, many decided to stick to the exaggerated rumor and continue to spread it.

Rumors could be made up by anyone with an ounce of imagination. It could be just a small harmless funny story that someone decided to tell, a private matter that is not 100% accurate, or a known fact with a bit of an imaginary twist at the end. Every time that story is told, it is never told the same way/version. It keeps on growing with more details and imagination add-ons, just to make it more unique. Those who believe the rumor will spread it around, thinking that this is news that everyone needs to listen to, cause trouble, or to be the center or attention.

It is always best to take everything with a grain of salt. Don't believe every story that is told to you. Take the time, stay calm, and think about it. Do some research on it if need be. Try to find where that rumor started from and if its real or fake. If it is truth, is it best to spread it around like the others before you? Is it something that everyone needs to know? Is it something that should be kept as a private matter? Does it personally involve you or someone you know? If the rumor is a fake, should you continue spread it around, or just shrug it off because it just turned out to be the imaginative story of someone with too much time on their hands?

If you are the one telling the story/rumor, is it something that you should just keep it to yourself? Would you stop and take a moment to think of the possible outcomes if this rumor was spread? Words are like weapons. They can be used for good or bad, protect or harm, aid or cripple.

WATCH what you say. THINK before you speak. Take everything with a grain of salt before you react.

artwork © 2014 Alex Cockburn