Strictly in confidence

The archaic definition of gossip is a woman who comes to attend a birth. Thereafter, she goes round informing the people about it. I think w...

The archaic definition of gossip is a woman who comes to attend a birth. Thereafter, she goes round informing the people about it. I think we have travelled a long way from its original meaning. Today, gossip is when we do not have anything nice to say about somebody.

However, gossip has formed its own rules. You gossip about someone who you envy; someone who enjoys either power or popularity. At work, you gossip about your boss and fabricate stories which could shock employees. A gossip that does not shock ceases to interest anyone. Hence, sometimes a simple event is twisted to make an impact on the listener. The intention, in all cases, is an attempt to put down someone in the eyes of others.

It is quite amazing how quickly gossip travels. A Chinese proverb states, 8220;What is told in the ear of a man is often heard 100 miles away.8221; At the start of a gossip, the informant requests for secrecy but seldom does it stay that way. Nobody wants to hear a gossip which cannot be circulated. It is said that even if you reveal your secret to the wind, you should not blame the wind for revealing them to the trees. It seems to escape us that whoever gossips to you is likely to gossip about you. I have noticed that a gossip can never be positive in character. For instance, no one gossips about other people8217;s secret virtues. People follow various methods to gossip. Sometimes, they resort to whisper. It is to create an impressions that you are the only person to know about it. If the gossip is in the zone of common knowledge, it loses its audience.

Receiving a gossip does not retain its content in its original form. It begins a journey of additions on the way and turns into a powerful content to appeal to a wider audience. As they say, one who brings a tale invariably takes two away. However,I have discovered it is difficult to gossip about a person who has no power, is known to be straightforward and boring. He is too predictable and cannot be a subject of gossip. For some people, gossiping is a regular part-time activity. They think they draw an audience if they able to fabricate some incredible facts about someone who you respect. In fact, if these people were confined to minding their own business, they would be robbed one half of their existence.

There is Jewish proverb, which says, 8220;What you don8217;t see with your eyes, don8217;t witness with your mouth.8221;