A common misconception is that gossip is only something that you find in high school, and that gossip girls/boys like you stop being gossipers after they receive their diplomas. But no, gossip is found in the hallways of every office, school, on cellphones and on social media. Gossip is everywhere.
I don’t think I will ever understand your need to spread rumors and lies like wildfire. Maybe putting me down made you feel better about yourself. You must have looked like a saint while talking about my sins. Maybe you find a sick kind of satisfaction in tainting innocent souls, of distorting other people’s images. Or maybe you are so unhappy that the only way you feel better is if you bring others down with you. Misery loves company, right?
Have you ever thought of how detrimental gossip is to the person you are gossiping about? Have you thought about how they might walk around feeling exposed, like their skin is inside out? Secrets they shared in confidence are now out in the open, there for too many people to see. Have you thought about how difficult it might be for them to face their friends, family, and coworkers? We are all suffering in our own ways, so why make it harder for each other? As cheesy as it sounds, why spread lies and hate when you could spread love? It’s a dog-eat-dog world, shouldn’t we stick together?
Many of us want to be strong and say it doesn’t matter, that your words are just words and have no effect. The betrayal of a close friend is a wound that runs deep and is a scar that takes a long time to disappear, if it ever does.
It’s hard to wear false labels that others put on you. How do you face people knowing that they think these terrible things about you? You can tell yourself that it doesn’t matter how these people feel about you and that if they believe these horrible things then they aren’t really your friends. But let’s face it, it’s just not fair to live with a label that is not even close to being true. These petty lies aren’t going to matter a year or two from now, so they don’t deserve more than two seconds of your time. Let them spread their insidious stories that your fake friends will believe. I’ll rise above and be the bigger person while you tarnish your image. You think you’re destroying me but you’re really just destroying yourself.
With all the love in the world (you obviously need it,)
A victim of gossip