How To Deal With Gossip

Personally, I have seen that in high school, gossip is unavoidable, and sooner or later, you will always end up being a part of it.

I have also been unfortunate enough to see the dramatic effects of gossip and the way rumors and words can destroy someone.

In my experience, it is so tempting to engage with people who you don't normally socialise with while talking about someone else's problems. But the issue with that isn't only that it’s morally wrong, but more often than not, the actual facts can be fabricated or elaborated to a massive extent.

So how I deal with gossip is to not engage with it. As hard as it is sometimes, you just need to walk away from certain people and certain conversations. And if you are confident enough with those people, don't be afraid to pull them up on it, and explain that what they’re doing is not okay, and it is not their business.

Better yet, if stories and gossip are floating around your social circles, go straight to the source and figure out the facts. The real facts that is; not the ones that have been fabricated.

Just because gossip is everywhere, it does not mean that you have the right to spread it. It is like a tiny flame, and with every conversation that you or your friends have, more fuel is added to the fire, until soon enough, it has burned more people then intended, including you.

If, on the other hand, the gossip is circling about you, deal with it head on and peacefully. Confront the issue that was at the heart of the problem and never stoop down to a level of retaliation, no matter how tempting it can be.

Gossip should never have escalated to being a part of everyday life in society. If individuals were more active in monitoring the conversations they were part of, how much conflict could be avoided? How many teenagers would be spared humiliation, and saved from a traumatic high school experience?

Gossip should be shut down automatically. If you don't, you become part of the destructive cycle that ravages our society and turns people against each other in a pathetic bid for attention, or even an avenue for spiteful revenge.

If we, as teenagers or young adults, learned how to effectively deal with conflict effectively, how much better would society function? Not only would the world would be just that little bit happier, but maybe it would be able to run a little smoother. As Ghandi says, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” It may be a cliché, but it’s true.

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