• Gossip—What’s the Harm in It?
    Awake!—1989 | July 8

    • Avoiding the Gossip Trap

      It’s next to impossible to stop talking about other people​—at least entirely. But many problems can be averted if you apply the golden rule: “All things, therefore, that you want men to do to you, you also must likewise do to them.”​—Matthew 7:12.

      This means refusing to listen to harmful gossip! “With one that is enticed with his lips you must have no fellowship,” advises the Bible. (Proverbs 20:19) If you listen to malicious or damaging talk, you condone it. As a youth named Rosalyn puts it: ‘People who listen to gossip just encourage the gossipers.’ Besides, there is always the chance you will find the ‘juicy tidbit’ too appealing to keep to yourself and become part of a hurtful chain of slander.

      So try to shut down negative talk. This does not necessarily mean giving a sermon on the evils of harmful gossip. But you can try changing the subject, steering the conversation in a new direction, or saying something complimentary about the one being discussed. If the hurtful talk continues, take that as your cue to excuse yourself from the conversation.