What is idle talk? How to deal with it?translated

Reader question:

Good afternoon! Tell me, what is idle talk (idle talk)? And how to deal with it in worldly life? What should you talk about with your neighbors, and what is considered a sin in conversation?

Priest's answer:

Priest Victor NIKISHOV

Good afternoon, reader!

Idle talk and idle talk are often used as synonyms, but there is a difference between them. Idle talk is a broader concept: speech that does not edify anyone, wastes time, but at the same time can touch on quite serious topics. Idle talk is the extreme degree of idle talk, when words do not carry any meaning at all: chatter for the sake of chatter. You can talk for a long time about politics or about other people’s problems - the topic is serious, but the conversation is still idle, because it does not benefit either the soul or the cause. And you can retell gossip - this is already idle talk and empty talk at the same time, because both time is a pity and the content is empty.

Now let’s talk about how to deal with this in everyday life. If a person, in an ascetic impulse, begins to remain silent in response to simple questions about the weather, time, the question “who is last in line,” this is not a fight against idle talk, but simply dislike for one’s neighbor. Basic courtesy and...