The oft told tale of Othello, masterfully told by William Shakespeare, is a powerful story of lies, betrayal, hatred, and jealousy. Manipulated to the point of murder followed by suicide, Othello reminds us to seek the truth and avoid the misdirection and falsification that tends subvert honesty and redirect people into hatred, bitterness, and ultimately pain. Can it be that the Othello effect is just as rampant today in our complex culture as it has always been?
Nearly everyday someone says something to me that is not accurate and is based on feelings, impressions, suspicions, and misinformation. I believe this is due to the idea that creativity and imagination are much more interesting than reality. Throw in a mix of paranoia, hatred, weakness of character, and a strong dose of limited vision and it all forms painful dishonesty and gross deception. Granted much of this is, of course, self-deception and not intended as anything malicious. Certainly there are those inflicting lies with the decided goal of causing pain and suffering, but my experience in general is that most people have the best of intentions. But often they simply lack in accurate information or, in some cases, prefer not to know the truth.
Most of the time this is due to fear, hatred, and/or jealousy of someone or something. Knowledge is the acquisition of truth and the application of wisdom. When we know and understand, we usually acquire a healthy respect or even disdain for the situation, person, or animal. Regardless of the emotional response, it should be based primarily on knowledge and truth rather than irrational conclusions based on falsehood.
Rather than share criticism, negativity, lies, and dishonesty, we should all be mindful of how our words and our actions are being accepted. Even a small lie about another person can compound into serious pain for others.
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