RELATIONSHIPS January 1, 2003 Issue

"Hey, Rebecca, did you hear about Eric...?”

with contributions from Madison, Sara, Henry, Lindsay, Abby A., Andrew, Lily, Patricia, Josh, Elodie

It spreads like wildfire — online, on the phone, in the hallway at school. Find out what some students at a Sunday School in Wellesley, Massachusetts, have to say about gossip, and the spiritual approach they are taking to help stop it in its tracks.

Madison: I think people gossip to boost their self-confidence, by putting others down.

Sara: Sometimes people gossip because they feel insecure. Rumors are often started by people who are jealous, or who want to feel part of a group. Rumors also get started from misunderstandings.

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