Why Is It So Hard To Avoid The Sin Of Gossip?

The sin of gossip is something that is often the topic of jokes even for those who regularly go to Church. It looks so widespread and so obvious that we wonder why it seems so difficult to avoid. Why can’t people turn away from it when it’s so damaging to the community? Is gossip really that hard to avoid?

Here are some reasons why the sin of gossip seems so difficult to overcome:

1. It wears a mask

It’s true. For many people involved in gossip, sin is not detected because of the mask it wears.

Why call it gossip when you can call it “sharing the news” or “sharing important information”? Why admit to gossiping when you’re only repeating something you’ve heard from someone else?

Many people tend to see it only as a sin when it affects their lives. But when one simply joins the chatter, one begins to be blind.

2. It caters to our curiosity

People are often too curious for their own good. It’s like an itch that won’t go away.

Gossip constantly whispers, “You need to know this.” But do you? Is it necessary to know everything that happens in other people’s lives?

Where do we draw the line between concern and respect for the privacy of others?

3. It appears to be harmless

Those who participate in gossip often see it as a harmless activity. “What harm can it do?” people ask. “Surely, it’s just a passing news that will soon fade away anyway.”

But the thing about gossip is that it isn’t harmless. And the harm only grows with each passing of information from one lips to another.

4. It calls to our need to connect

For many people, gossip is a way to connect with their neighbors and friends. It is something to help pass the time.

With every new gossip learned, there is this excitement to share it with others, imagining how much they would enjoy the news.

The lives of other people may therefore become the subject of entertainment, a fleeting amusement that causes irreparable harm to those concerned.

5. It may arise from one’s insecurities

Gossip, especially those involving bad things that happened to others may come from one’s insecurities and other problems in life. By talking about the tragedies of other people, one may feel better somewhat.

The comfort offered by spreading or hearing gossip may come from being able to relate to the sad lives of others or thinking that one is better off than other people.

This may become a habit and one forms the tendency to see or keep other people down just to feel better.

What Can We Do To Overcome the Temptation To Gossip?

To avoid the sin of gossip, one must first be aware of its dangers. Let us never deceive ourselves by thinking that it isn’t harmful. The small spark that gossip creates will eventually spread and become a huge fire that destroys relationships and the reputation of other people. In many cases, it may even amount to the loss of human life.

After learning about its dangers, one must avoid the company of those who often engage in this kind of talk. It will be very difficult to start avoiding gossip if you’re often with those who enjoy it and make it an indispensable part of their lives.

One must also never neglect the power of prayer. God knows our weaknesses, and He alone can give us the grace to change and persevere in a new life of virtue and true love for our neighbors.

Since gossip is often a habit, we must replace it with new ones until we have formed a new lifestyle that doesn’t need to make use of other people’s lives for our entertainment or to make ourselves feel better.

Let us not wait until we have become the very victims of gossip. If that happens, it will only be more painful for us, knowing that we have somehow contributed to a similar thing that has caused so much hurt and damage to other people.

God can help us find a better path. The path of truth, true love, and self-control.