Obviously, I am being sarcastic. But this is a very real issue for many people.

I have been both the instigator of drama and the recipient of it. I have watched loved ones, acquaintances, passers-by assume absolute bullshit about others and me, walking away absolutely certain and unwilling to even investigate facts. And as a result, they experience and spread more pain, more alienation, more suffering.

The victims of their judgment are not (to them) human beings worth understanding or loving, but are reduced to a shell, housing the story of their fear and insecurities. Many of us do it, most often without even realizing it.

Pay attention to your words. They have a lasting ripple effect.

Listen.

Pay attention to the facts.

Be kind.