Minor Confession: The Ethics of Eavesdropping

I'm having a bit of an ethical dilemma at the moment. It's not much, a trifle really, but I don't feel guilty about something (VERY NOT NORMAL FOR ME) that seems to be sketchy ethically and I'm confused by that. What I'm talking about is eavesdropping. I'm starting to pick up the habit! (GASP!) Well, not exactly. While I've always assumed that eavesdropping is wrong, I'm wondering how far that application goes? I mean do I really need to hum to myself to not overhear a personal conversation going on between strangers in line with me? It hardly seems practical or worth the effort, especially when I'll never see those people again. So when you are trying to do it with people you know, it's no good, but when it's unintentional, then hopefully it's okay.

Now that I've said that can we talk about how fun eavesdropping can be? I am attending college at the moment and am very often amused and bemused by the people and the atmosphere here. I wouldn't call it a battle of the sexes exactly, that image is too violent, but the atmosphere is definitely charged, tense, which leaves a lot of room for humor.

Eavesdropping on a Woman Scolding 1655, a painting by Nicolaes Maes.

So I was walking from one class to another today and randomly landed myself slightly behind two guys absorbed in conversation. Without really meaning to, I got an earful of their conversation. The drift was this; the one had a date and was talking over his various options with his friend. His approach struck me as an interesting medium between a cool, pragmatic, almost mathematical approach and a militaristic strategy. Linguistically, anyway.

I just found this great quote that captures the idea I'm trying to think about. "Love and War are the same thing, and stratagems and polity are as allowable in the one as in the other." - Miguel de Cervantes (1547 - 1616), Don Quixote (1605 -1615)' Hmmmm....... 

Well, my favorite snip-it of the conversation was the fact that he wanted to take her to a show so he wouldn't have to think of as many questions to ask her. Ha ha ha ha. Come on, that's funny!

Have you ever overheard something that made you want to laugh, cry or jump in and add your two cents?