Thursday; June 20

          “Lizzie Borden took an axe ...”.   Most of us could complete the rhyme that refers to a tragic double murder in Fall River, Massachusetts on August 4, 1892.  For over a century now Lizzie Borden has been known as the murderer of her father and stepmother, but did you know that Lizzy was acquitted of the crime?  On June 20, 1893, after about an hour and a half of deliberation, the jury acquitted Lizzie.  Unfortunately, the publicity of the murders, investigation and trial taints our recollection of history.
          As I thought about Lizzie Borden, I got to wondering how many people have had unsubstantiated circumstances ruin their lives?  Countless numbers of people have been falsely accused and others have been the subject of smear campaigns that resulted in rumors receiving more credence than truth.  While this can be sad, what is even worse is when people (we) continue to promote false claims against these people.  When we perpetuate untrue gossip, when we refuse to believe truth, when we fail to give the benefit of the doubt, we quash another person’s good name and their hopes of ever regaining their reputation we do an injustice to them that may never be corrected.
          Let’s be judicious in talking about other people.  Let’s make sure we have our facts in order – and even when we are certain of those facts, let’s assess the necessity of talking about others.  Maybe sometimes the simple advice is the best.  In other words, “If we can’t say something nice about someone, it is best to say nothing at all.”.
         Think About It!

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