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                                            Drawing Boundaries in a World of Labba-Labba

Privacy is a cornerstone of human dignity, yet many people, while guarding their own secrets, fail to extend the same respect to others. In Jamaican Patois, labba-labba captures the concept of idle gossip, a harmful habit that often violates this dignity. For Christians, respecting privacy is integral to loving one’s neighbour, yet gossip erodes trust, exploiting personal details for entertainment or judgment rather than honouring another's boundaries.

The Bible cautions against gossip, as in Proverbs 11:13: "a gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy person keeps a secret." To respect privacy means recognizing that not everything we’re curious about is ours to know. When we engage in labba-labba, we reduce others to topics, disregarding their feelings and trust. But at the same time, make us persons that are to be treated with caution since we cannot be trusted. This can lead to lives of loneliness on our part.

Christ’s example teaches us to practice humility and empathy, allowing people to open up on their terms rather than prying. Genuine interest supports others without intruding, while guarding privacy builds an environment of respect. As Christians, we can model this by choosing silence over gossip, becoming trustworthy protectors of each other's dignity. In doing so, we create a culture where respect and love are the true measures of interest. Think in teams of the positive side of the proverb where we read "a trustworthy person keeps a secret."

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A perverse man spreads dissension, and a gossip divides close friends.

Proverbs 16:28 BSB

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Can I ask you to put yourself in an imaginary scenario? Suppose by some miraculous means someone knocked on your door and offered you £10.000.000 with only one string attached:  as soon as you decide to take it, a poor farmer in Mongolia or somewhere else will drop dead. 

If you refuse to take the money, he lives. What would be your decision? You have his future life and the happiness of his family in your hands. Does a rural farmer you have never met have value in your eyes?

Before you decide, think of the poor farmer whose family depends on him for survival. He has a child who needs medical care but can barely afford it. Added to that, the farmer has cancer and worries every night about what will become of his children when he dies.

So, what would be your decision?

Gossip and slander are like that. We may pass on a bit of gossip for the reward —— the temporary dopamine lift ——, but at what cost? Someone at school, work, family, or congregation ,whom you have grown to dislike or hate for some reason,  is lying awake with hurt.

Do you feel that is worth the cost of the dopamine lift? Think about this, if you gossip, what kind of crowd will gather around you? I guess those who may talk about you. People who gossip cannot be trusted. Therefore, in trying to raise their self-esteem by putting down others, they lose self-worth and dignity.

Besides, and above all reasons, there is our relationship with God to consider. No one would want to be viewed by God as "corrupt" or "perverse",  Proverbs 16:28,

A corrupt person stirs up anxiety and divides close friends.

If we have failed in this, let us resolve to speak positively of fellow humans.

Proverbs 16:28 WEB