Mormonad - Gossip

First I will share a personal experience where I was the victim of gossip. My sophomore year in high school I was asked to go to PROM and it was going to be my first date ever. I was a little nervous but also incredibly excited. I thought it would be a fun date since I was going with a boy that was simply a friend from one of my classes. The date turned out to be a good experience for my very first date.

During the weeks following the dance, my date started acting very weird around me and in many cases completely ignoring me. I couldn't figure out what was going on. I decided to not worry about him and forget the whole situation. A few months later I was at our final stag dance before the end of the school year when one of my guy friends somehow brought up how I had tried to kiss my PROM date. I was shocked at his remark - I told him that I did not try to kiss him. He was surprised. I asked him why he thought that I had and he told me that my date had told everyone that I had tried to kiss him. So while I was unaware, gossip had spread that I had tried to kiss my date. I was hurt, frustrated, and embarrassed that this lie had spread to all of my peers. This is only a small example of how gossip can hurt someone.

What an ugly thing gossip is. Whether we are passing on accurate or misleading information it is so often hurtful and definitely unnecessary. Why do we feel so inclined to spread information about others to our friends, our spouses, our children, or to anyone who might find joy or excitement in hearing the latest failure, mistake, or embarrassing situation of an individual?


I think that gossip so easily rests on our pride. It fits perfectly with the quotes in the previous post given by President Benson, "We are tempted daily to elevate ourselves above others and diminish them." I think that this is so often our reason for gossiping "to elevate ourselves above others".

How dark and hurtful gossip can be. As the Mormonad says, Don't Pass It On! I would also add to that, don't be the first to get your hands dirty either. Leave gossip alone and share the good things you find in others.