Gossip, the scariest of all flaws

Gossip, we all do it every day. Even self-righteous people who claim they have never talked about anyone behind their backs, have done the exact same; they just refuse to deny it. It’s a norm, now. Everyone does it, you, me, our neighbors, our friends, everyone.

I wouldn’t call gossip a sin, but I would call it a major flaw, something I’m trying to get rid of these days, so I thought maybe I should talk about it.

Gossip is the same as backbiting, no matter which way you put it, no matter how much you deny it. It will always be a synonym to backbiting, it always has been. The worst thing about gossiping, in my opinion, is not hurting people, horrible as it may be. The worst part is spreading rumors about someone, without getting your facts straight, throwing another person’s reputation down the drain, forgetting that they are also human. Even if you THINK you have your facts straight, what if you don’t know their side of the story, just the side you THINK you know? And even you do know some delicious, juicy secret, why spread it? The person who told you must have entrusted you with it, thinking you would keep your lips sealed, but you ended up blabbering out the whole thing as if you were talking about the weather. Why? Don’t people have feelings?

What people, addicted to gossiping, don’t realise is what they would do if they were put in the same situation. What if one day, they were being gossiped about, ridiculed and mocked, what if they were the hot topic of discussion every day for people? It’s the worst possible thing to be talked about, especially if it’s in a negative way. Most people don’t realise it until they’ve been put in that position, but now and again, everyone experiences it. And it’s only when they experience it do they realise the horrible, sinking feeling of people judging your every move.

I do not meant to point out anyone’s flaws here, we’re all human and we’re all flawed in one way or the other. But we can’t possibly justify our flaws by saying that we’re only humans. Being Ashraf-ul-Makhlooqat, we have been given the intelligence to realise and rectify our wrongs, and bring a positive change in ourselves. We should try to rectify ourselves in every way, because there is ALWAYS room for improvement in all of us.

It is true what they say – you don’t realize something until you actually experience it. Gossip is similar. You won’t understand atrocity of gossip until you get talked about. Don’t worry! Everyone gets talked about. You will only be spared if you sit in your home, being anti-social, with no technologies whatsoever. But even then people will wonder where you have disappeared off to. See? It never ends.

So next time, when you decide to talk about someone’s personal life with juicy bits and pieces which may or may not be true, think about how you would feel if someone did the same about you. Because karma has a way of coming right back at you. Always remember that.