People can turn on each other and life can sometimes be unfair.
It's always been that way, and it remains true today.
Sometimes a person may be slandered by others who are using information that is nothing more than unfounded claims, half-truths, rumor, hearsay, gossip, and innuendo.
To voice fair criticism after examining the evidence is one thing, but to pounce on another person with baseless accusations, well, that's just plain wrong.
And we see too much of it.
We see it often in the public arena, but it happens in the local workplace too, among individuals who aren't anywhere near the limelight.
In history we see that Paul, one of the early church leaders in the first century, was attacked and accused and assaulted, and those things happened to him because some trumped-up charges were formulated by an amped-up mob.
In Acts 24, according to the King James translation, Paul's accusers called him "a pestilent fellow...a mover of sedition...a ringleader...of the sect of the Nazarenes..." (To call someone a Nazarene in that day was the equivalent of saying he came from the wrong side of the tracks).
If injustices like these came to Paul--a man considered by many to be the greatest Christian ever--then we can assume that they will certainly come to you and to me as well.
That doesn't mean it won't be unpleasant when it happens, but it's true nonetheless.
In my own experience, I sometimes found it frustrating to have to defend myself for something that I didn't do. That really wasn't fair, and it's certainly not fair when it happens to you.
But it does happen.
Sometimes a perception is formed by inaccurate information, and then, when that perception is mixed with emotion, people begin to go on the attack.
But, if an individual can control his or her emotions--and if he or she can show some restraint--then the problem of jumping on someone before all of the evidence is in can usually be avoided.
For a good example of this, just think back to a time in which you received a hateful email (or worse, think back to when you sent one yourself).
In such cases it would have been better to wait 24 hours before hitting the send button.
A June 6 editorial in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, told of how an editor suggested a way to handle disputes back in the days when people wrote letters.
"When a vulgar piece of correspondence comes in the mail," the old-school editor said, "write your reaction if you must. But then put the letter in a drawer for a few days. Then reread it, to see if it really should be stamped and sent. More likely, you'll just throw away your response to the jerk, and let the matter blissfully disappear into the past."
The problem today, is that there is no such drawer to hold our hateful emails for a day or two.
And we certainly don't have such a drawer to hold our texts and social media messages.
To make matters worse, when we use a computer or other electronic device to communicate, it eliminates our personal filter.
And make no mistake about it, such a filter does exist, whether we are aware of it or not. It is the one that helps us strain out hateful sentiments, and it works best when we are speaking to someone in person. There are times when that filter may not work properly, but it's definitely there.
With electronic communication, however, we aren't aware of that filter, and that makes us more prone to unload a tirade of negative barbs, often in a sarcastic and condescending manner.
But we are also capable of doing much better.
We could look at how Paul handled it and learn from his example, because it is likely that he was the victim of such abuse much more than you or me.
He usually defended himself briefly and respectfully, and then spent most of his time talking about the "gospel of peace," with the intention of desiring even his own enemies to come to a place of spiritual tranquility and to a harmonious relationship with God.
To want the best for the person who hates you (or at least says hateful things to you) is not merely something that is commendable, it is actually the epitome of what it means to be a Christian.
I'll have to remember that, the next time someone's filter doesn't work.
DAVID WILSON, EdD, OF SPRINGDALE, IS A FORMER HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL AND IS THE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR FOR THE TRANSIT AND PARKING DEPARTMENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS. HIS BOOK, LEARNING EVERY DAY, IS AVAILABLE ON AMAZON. YOU MAY E-MAIL HIM AT [email protected]. THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHOR.
Editorial on 08/15/2018