Here is one way that evil operates in the world, through lies and deceit. Lives can be ruined, nation can be set against nation with this devil's tool:
It takes strength of character to defeat this type of evil. If you don't know something to be true, don't repeat it.
The more one hears gossip and lies, the more they tend to believe it. The problem starts with exposure to unreliable news sources. People who consume trash news are in no position to judge others.
If someone continually threw mud at you and then turned around and called you dirty, that would be the height of hypocrisy. Yet that is a common tactic. All it takes to be effective is for you to buy in.
People who constantly attack others by lying, cheating, stealing, insulting, demeaning etc are no better than those who rob or hit. They steal a person's good character, ruin relationships, and hurt others economically and professionally.
How many people have we put into positions of power who by their words and actions are no better than this? They wield words like weapons of attack rather than instruments of peace.
Be very careful before you judge others. You have no idea what they've lived through or what has been done to them.
Be careful what you read, and who you listen to. There is an old saying "when you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas."
You can make a difference in this world by being the last stop on the gossip train. You can be a better friend to someone when you don't encourage gossip, and never repeat it. You can be a more informed global citizen when you carefully consider your news sources and question any news or story that seems designed just to get you angry or get a reaction.
The devil is in the details, they say. Find out the truth. Be slow to speak and quick to listen. When you catch that devil, you will stop him from playing you for a fool and using you to hurt someone else!
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
-Jesus -Sermon on the Mount
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