Don’t give in to gossip

Gossip is everywhere, and it’s hard not to become embroiled in it, but when you step back and look at your friendships, you will realise that you have a responsibility to uphold your end of the friendship bargain. Let’s face it: we live and work in worlds (in person and online) populated by friends, co-workers, acquaintances and family members, who are often only separated by degrees. This leaves us, as people, more vulnerable than ever before. Sharing other people’s problems is not just making conversation, it’s mean, and could be creating a lot more problems. How would you feel if your friends were sharing your personal information with others? We have become so disconnected that we don’t even realise when we are hurting others. Wanting to know all the latest gossip is really just a void within ourselves that needs to be filled. It’s a defence mechanism, but others can’t fill that for you. You need to do the work and show up for yourself. When you do that, you will naturally want to help and not harm. Genuine, authentic and caring people want the best for others — and not the best of gossip about others.