Gossip is to talk about others, which may be, unkind and untrue. It cheers up the gossiping group for a cheerful tittle-tattle.
Psychologists say that gossiping is a fundamental human instinct of groups; we live in groups; we depend on the people in our group for safety. In short, we are born to gossip with our group; we pass our time with our group; and perhaps, we end our days in gossiping with our group. Good can come out from gossiping groups, if the intentions of the members of the group are good.
Some people are jealous of another person’s success, say in employment, education, power and popularity. They gossip which often ends in ruining successful person’s reputation or in playing the dictator game or annoyance game for fun with unkind comments about other person’s looks or behaviour.
The Bible says, “Whoever slanders his neighbour in secret, him will put to silence, whoever has haughty eyes and a proud heart, him will I not endure.” (Ps: 101:5)
A bee presented to Jupiter some honey fresh from her combs. Jupiter was delighted with the offering of honey. So, he promised to give whatever the bee asked. The bee said, “Give me a sting that if any mortal shall approach to take my honey, I may kill him.” Jupiter said, “You shall have your request; but it will be at the peril of your own life. For if you use your sting, it shall remain in the wound you make, and then you will die from the loss of it.” The moral of this Aesop fable is this — evil wish, evil get.
People are status-conscious. Some want to make their self, feel better by belittling others; they think that putting another down is a way of lifting themselves up. So, they place themselves on a higher rank in the society with false lies. With juiciest gossips, many tears down relationships; destroy lives and friendships, with made-up stories of which they have no proof.
Gossip-group, “listens to evil lips and pay attention to a malicious tongue.”
Gossip, for idlers, is a tasty morsel. Idlers always find excuses not to work.
Idlers, mostly, give an update of family affairs. It is commonly said, “Satan finds some mischief for idle hands to do.”
The Bible says: “Therefore, do not be partners with them.” (Eph: 5:7)
There is no doubt that good gossip elicits ripples of laughter and erases depression.
But we should only use it with restrain; as we “will have to give an account on the Day of Judgment for every careless word we have spoken; and we will be condemned or acquitted by our words.” (Mt: 12: 36.37).
Therefore, first of all, we should rectify by doing good to the victim whose feelings we have wounded and whose reputation we have damaged with our gossip.
Thereafter, we should pray to reform ourselves, as: “My Lord and my God, see if my heart and my anxious thoughts are offensive, lead me in the way that is everlasting — whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable.”
