Daily Inspiration Quote by Lawrence G. Lovasik

Lovasik frames gossip as a species of violence, and that’s the crafty escalation that gives the line its punch. He doesn’t treat idle talk as a harmless social lubricant; he puts it in the same moral neighborhood as striking someone who can’t fight back. The comparison is calibrated for a clerical voice: it turns a common habit into a matter of conscience, not etiquette. “Absent” and “defenseless” do the heavy lifting. The target isn’t just not in the room; they’re deprived of the basic human right to reply, to complicate the story, to be seen whole.

The intent is disciplinary, but not merely scolding. Lovasik wants to rewire the listener’s sense of courage: real bravery isn’t blunt “honesty” about other people; it’s restraint, fairness, and a willingness to address issues directly. The subtext is that gossip thrives on asymmetry. It’s cheap social bonding built on someone else’s vulnerability, a way to perform belonging by sharing contempt.

Then he lands the second move: “persons instead of things.” That’s not a call to be bloodless; it’s a moral demand to shift from character assassination to substantive critique - from policing reputations to discussing ideas, problems, actions, and solutions. In a pastoral context, it echoes long-standing Christian teachings on detraction and charity: you’re accountable not only for what you do with your hands, but for what you do with your words, especially when the other person can’t defend themselves.