GOSSIP: A Turkish proverb

“Who gossips to you will gossip of you”

An old Turkish proverb relating the importance of not gossiping and backbiting about other people or indulging yourself in other people’s gossip. It may be riveting and appeal to the darker side of our curiosity, but the proverbial dung can fly in all directions. You may revel in hearing about what the gossiped-about person allegedly got up to, but how do you know the gossip is not spreading your muck around too?

The negative form of gossiping, as opposed to just sharing information around, is in my opinion one of the lowest forms of human communication. Gossips very much trade in bringing other people down and inflating their own smug sense of self-worth. They may be confiding another person’s secrets to you, without that other person’s permission of course, but then what is stopping them from doing the same to you, if say, they fell out with you or if they like stirring crap for crap’s sake. Gossiping encourages bullying and low self-esteem and exacerbates conflicts. It is a poisonous thing to do or get involved with.

Don’t feed the trolls.