Gossip isn’t simply when “other people” talk about you. That’s fine. Rather, gossip is when other people talk about you in damaging ways… when they talk to other people about your intentions, your motives. Or putting it the other way around, gossip is when you talk to someone about how another person is mean/awful/untrustworthy.

You could say those things to their face, and that would be bad enough since you’re attributing motives… you’re assuming to know their heart (which only God can).

What makes gossip worse is that the person you’re talking about isn’t even there. They can’t defend themselves; they have no voice, they are helpless and weak in the face of such an attack.

So defend the weak and those without a voice.

Stop other people gossiping. Ask people to stop when they start saying unkind things about someone not present.