One of the most COWARDLY things people can do

One of the most cowardly things a person can do is to talk smack behind someone's back.

Unfortunately, this has become all too common in virtually any context we can think of -- work, school, even at home.

Let's stop for a moment and consider why someone might want to badmouth someone behind his or her back.

In most cases, it's because the person is upset with or envious of the individual and wants to find a way to stick it to them without having an actual confrontation.

Thus begin rumors and a lot of he-said-she-said, putting those in the middle -- the ones made to listen to the remarks in secret -- in a tough situation.

Truthfully, talking behind someone's back has a juvenile quality to it. Why not act like adults and talk face to face?

When people's emotions get the best of them, they can act callously. Most people like drama to some degree -- otherwise, reality shows ranging from The Kardashians to The Real Housewives wouldn't have such a big following.

But it's this kind of behavior that often leads to failed relationships and other unfavorable consequences.

If you ever find yourself tempted to talk behind someone else's back -- even upon discovering that person did it first -- be the better person and try to seek a peaceful, tactful resolution to the problem. Reach out to him or her and initiate a heart-to-heart conversation. It's possible the person may have misconstrued something you said or did and all it takes to right the ship is a 5-minute conversation. Usually, a person will respond positively when he or she sees the other party is making a genuine effort to mend fences.

Be the better person and put your ego aside. I'm sure many more problems in the world would see a peaceful resolution if just one of the sides simply swallowed their pride.