My niece was upset with an officemate who was spreading a gossip destroying her reputation. She asked me what to do. I told her to talk to her, ask what her problem was, and ask also if she was prepared for detention or fine -- just in case she was not aware of the local laws. " Own your mind, " I told her, " and do not let it be occupied by offenses of other people. Just free it. " There are many people who want to talk of others and get joy from damaging the good reputation of someone they hate. They love to gossip. The Cambridge dictionary online defines gossip as a "conversation or report about other people's lives that might be unkind, disapproving, or not true". When they talk about other people in a negative way, it is not gossip for them. They think they have all the right in the world to discuss things freely even if they already go beyond the boundary line. But if their names are mentioned even if in the light of bitter truth, t...