Gossip: its nature and consequences

I am nobody, but I can still hurt everyone. I’m a story about someone, and I’m told behind peoples back regardless of who it might affect. That’s the definition of gossip. In my daily life I usually come upon gossip on the social media or in my circle of friends. It’s something we all can relate to, and we have all one way or another been a part of it, even the most disciplined and orderly person we know have gossiped. Gossip can ruin a persons life just like that, maybe it’s a rumour that a girl had a relationship with her boss, or maybe someone starts a rumour about a person who has gone bankrupt. It can be so many different things, but just the rumour can be enough for someone to lose a job or split up a couple. But how come no one is better than that? Why do we tend to gossip so much when we know which consequences it might have?

I know a girl whose reputation was ruined because of a rumour someone started just to make fun of her. The person who started the rumour was actually partly guilty but was never discussed because he turned it the other way and let it affect the girl instead of him self. She was a tough girl, but eventually she was torn into pieces and couldn’t handle the looks and people whispering behind her back anymore. I just wonder why nobody stopped for a second and asked themselves, is this really true? But no one did because we are all so scared we might get hit by gossip ourselves, so instead we try to turn it on other people instead of ourselves, and that makes us selfish because if you are afraid of getting hit by gossip, then don’t gossip yourself, just keep quiet, and the rumour dies with you, and you have saved a person from misery.