Reverse Gossip?

Last night, our small group (our church calls them "Link Groups") studied Ecclesiastes 7 together, and we had a brief discussion of verses 21-22:

"Do not pay attention to every word people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you--for you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others." (NIV)

The New Living Translation renders it like this:  "Don't eavesdrop on others--you may hear your servant laughing at you. For you know how often you yourself have laughed at others." (NLT)

If I understand it right (and that's always a big if when Ecclesiastes is involved!), it seems to me to be a little like "reverse gossip" -- listening to someone talk about you "behind their back" (when they don't know they're being listened to) out of a bad heart.

The Teacher says to avoid this sort of thing, too, and overlook as much as you can. "Give people slack. You know you've done it, too." That's no excuse for cursing or laughing at others--it's just a reminder to do to others as you would want them to do to you, even when you're in the wrong.