A morning of work in Sapporo reminded me how easily conversations can drift into gossip—and how important it is to keep myself out of that spiral.
I worked in Sapporo this morning.
Since it had snowed recently, I was a bit worried about the conditions, but everything turned out fine.
I had arrived the day before and had dinner with two pathology colleagues who live here.
One is the chair of a study group I belong to, and the other is a slightly younger pathologist.
We talked about the group’s current situation and its future.
When you have conversations like that, it can easily slip into gossip, and eventually even badmouthing.
But neither of them is the type to speak ill of others—and that alone made the evening pleasant.
Thinking about it, speaking badly of someone is nothing but a waste of time.
If I have a spare moment, it is far better spent sharing dreams or talking about something uplifting.
Joining someone in badmouthing means stepping into that circle myself—
and that circle is, without question, a negative one.
It is like willingly stepping into a space filled with negative energy.
When a conversation starts drifting toward speaking ill of others, I need to make sure I don’t follow that direction.
Otherwise, the one who ultimately loses is me.
