Gossip

Let me tell you something interesting today.  It’s about our friend…  Did I get your attention?  Did you anticipate that I am to talk to you about a gossip?

It has always intrigued me, what on earth is gossip that we (both male and female) are drawn to it?  It catches our attention, makes us put down whatever we are doing and gravitated towards the person telling the gossip.  Why do you think that television shows are earning a lot of money from talk shows and a number of people become celebrities because of gossips, good or bad? It doesn’t matter whichever part of the world you live in, gossip proliferates. 
 

 Gossip has been in this world for ages.  It is alive and freely flowing in every community.  It can be as natural as casual conversation or infested with germs degrading morale, affecting productivity and even health. It is common to associate gossip with women, but that is totally wrong.  Men gravitate towards gossip too; though they probably are less showy about it and may define gossip differently. 
 

We talk more than men do and use more personal words especially when having woman-to-woman chat.  We tend to barter information; we are more intimate in our communication.  Sharing becomes our friendship bond.  We tend to bond over feelings, men tend to bond over activities; thus less intimacy.   This difference in communication styles show the differences in how the genders gossip.  You will hear women comment, “I can’t believe she leaves her children alone in the house”.  You will probably hear men say, “Can you believe it?  She bought a Mercedes!”  
 

Why does gossip flourish despite its negative effects known to all of us?  Whether we accept it or not, gossip is our way of bonding with others and a means to isolate the people we dislike or unlikely to support our group.  It is our way of discrediting someone.  People have an inherent desire to know about other people's lives. We are fascinated by the lives of other people.   

 

Even in the business world, gossip becomes a force that marries social and business networks. Gossips affect relationships, creating an environment of fear and anger.  It fuels stress which results to decline in productivity, rise in absenteeism and even results to sickness. But despite these negative effects, I have yet to see a workplace free from gossip.   
 

We may all want to eliminate gossip in our world but there is little that we can do apart from encouraging people to have open communication to avoid conflicts. Gossip will go on as long as there are at least three people in this world.  We are wired to talk, we are wired to gossip.  That’s just the way it is.  
 

I have been a target of gossip; you, single moms were victims of gossip. Since gossip is a natural occurrence in our fallen world, why don’t you join me in shrugging off gossip from our mind?  Let us not be affected by the itching tongues of our neighbors, officemates and associates.  Let us busy ourselves with things that will do us good, like encouraging one another. 
 

Single mom, you rock!