Never be part of a circle that thrives on backstabbing, gossip, or tearing others down. Those kinds of environments drain your peace and distort your spirit. When people bond through negativity, they mistake cruelty for connection - and that's not friendship, that's dysfunction. Feeding someone's ego by joining in their gossip doesn't make you loyal; it makes you part of the problem. The sad truth is, many know exactly how toxic their behavior is, but they've done it for so long that it's become second nature. Protect your energy. Distance yourself from people who find joy in others' pain, because real ones build each other up — not break each other down.