On Gossip

Here's a subject I picked out on my hat for today.

Here’s the thing about gossip, its fun to do and everyone does it, I won’t be dishonest. The definition of gossip according to Wikipedia,

Gossip is idle talk or rumour, especially about the personal or private affairs of others. It is one of the oldest and most common means of sharing facts and views, but also has a reputation for the introduction of errors and variations into the information transmitted. The term can also imply that the news is of personal or trivial nature, as opposed to normal conversation.

We all gossip, its part of being a human being in a social group. We talk and discuss others in our social circles, its just something we do. My personal definition of “gossip” as Wikipedia similarly defines, is elaborating facts, or adding to rumors that may not be true, or simply making things up to tell a good story. I find the adult and mature women I talk with do not maliciously gossip, rather they engage in conversations about events that have happened.

Wikipedia defines “conversation”:

Conversation is interactive, more-or-less spontaneous, communication between two or more conversants. Interactivity occurs because contributions to a conversation are response reactions to what has previously been said. Spontaneity occurs because a conversation must proceed, to some extent, and in some way, unpredictably.

Most of the time when I engage in conversation about others, its to find out how things may be going for others, sometimes I have even found ways to be helpful or supportive because I learned things had happened I did not know about. I am a satellite member of one social group, but since I am so far removed, I often ask others about how people are doing simply because I am rarely around to get the scoop first hand.

Its true! I DO talk about other people, it happens; the thing I have never done is spread rumors or falsehoods, this is true hurtful gossip. If the time arises that someone asks me and I am aware of actual facts, that are also not given in confidence, I have answered questions. All people do those things, its in our nature to be curious about other people.Its also helpful to talk about the behavior of others in order to establish ideas about how we might react in similar situations.

If other people talk about me I wouldn’t be surprised, and in fact I have heard more than once that people have talked about me and have ideas about me that are so wrong they are laughable. I’m not saying if I heard a total falsehood about myself it would not hurt my feelings; however the people I hold in my heart as my closest friends know the real me and their opinions are all that really matter.

I have built a personal philosophy on doing the things I like to do, being with the people whom I love and who love and accept me for all of my strengths, all of my foibles, all my geekery, all of my political and social beliefs, my struggles with personal spirituality, and my immense love of serving those whom I love and hold dear.

I have no idea how to tell anyone else how to be comfortable in their own skin. As for me, myself, and I, I am at a point in my life, at this moment, when I am satisfied with who I am as a person and no one can take that away from me. Idle gossip or no.