When I first saw this illustration, it stopped me in my tracks.
Five simple lines, five simple words — yet it hit a nerve.
To gossip. To get involved. To encourage. To help.
And the people? The longest line stretched toward gossip, while the shortest barely existed for help.
Something about that image made me uncomfortable — because it’s true. It’s a mirror to how we, as a society and as individuals, tend to behave. Gossip draws crowds. Encouragement gets a trickle. Help — the most costly, the most needed — is left almost empty.
But here’s the paradox: the shortest line is where the deepest meaning is found.
Why Gossip Gets the Crowd
Gossip gives us a fleeting sense of power. It feels like being “in the know,” and it binds us to others — at least temporarily. But gossip is also corrosive: it can distort truth, harm reputations, and reduce complex people to bite-sized rumors. And because it costs us little, it’s easy to step in and even harder to step out.
Encouraging and Helping Take More of Us — But Give More Back
Encouraging someone isn’t complicated, but it does take intentionality. A text, a pat on the back, an honest compliment — small things that can alter the course of someone’s day. Helping goes even further. It means giving of ourselves without expectation, stepping into someone’s burden, showing up when it’s inconvenient.
And here’s the twist: encouragement and help actually nourish the giver as much as the receiver. They build trust, deepen relationships, and leave you with the kind of peace gossip never can.
Choosing the Shorter Line
Imagine if more of us lined up to help rather than gossip. Communities would shift. Workplaces would heal. Families would feel safer. Schools would flourish. In a culture addicted to outrage and whispers, simply choosing to help or encourage becomes a quiet act of rebellion — and of leadership.
The lines of life aren’t just about where people stand; they’re about what we value. Every time we choose which line to join, we’re also shaping the world around us.
A Personal Challenge
Next time you’re tempted to join the gossip line, pause. Ask yourself: Could I instead join the line to encourage or to help? Could I say something uplifting? Could I offer practical support?
The shortest line may feel inconvenient, but it’s also the line where the real work of kindness and change happens. And in the end, it’s the line worth standing in.
Closing thought:
Be the person who makes the shortest line a little longer.
Kenrick Vaz 