To have a motive, to do it out of spite. Jealousy and betrayal, seen as the worst sins committed, are alongside Judas, a man who had hidden in between places. A feeling that is rooted in nothing good, a plant sitting in the dirt for ages without water or sunlight. Something larger than life, an emotion being too much leading to chaos. The most common forms of betrayal are harmful disclosures of confidential information, disloyalty, infidelity, and dishonesty. Jealousy can come in the form of suspicions, accusations, or daily activities. Or in plain sight. But all reason could be thrown out, all morals put aside. In the spectrum of human emotions, jealousy and betrayal serve as dominant influencers, where people should grapple with their moral dilemmas, leading to twists for the unexpected soul. An action that can leave a person scarred for a long time, completely being responsible for their doomsday. These emotions are often the subject of a variety of sources.

From Shakespeare’s Othello, one can learn from the play’s villain, Iago that some people are just bad and born with malice in their hearts, and there is no returning or coming back to get better. People want to destroy and ruin other people just because they can and will. People will make up excuses and reasons to hate someone. In the play, Iago plays Roderigo and Othello for his benefit. He was a nice, caring, and supportive man to his friends, only to ruin everything for both men. Iago drove Othello to near insanity and had him second-guessing his wife Desdemona cheating on him. Othello believed every word that left his mouth and so he killed his wife. Envy of the outsider general not making him his right-hand ancient was enough to be his motive to destroy once-good people. Iago never thought about looking back to see the damage he would be creating, for some cases, people don’t think about the consequences for others and just want to twist and screw with their lives.

The Dunning-Kruger Effect occurs when a person’s lack of knowledge and skills in a certain area causes them to oversee their competence. Although this phenomenon is usually related to talents and skills, it could also be applied to someone twisting the idea of being good at something. Like manipulating or pretending to be a good person to everyone, and secretly hating them. They see the world differently for their benefit. So, these people live in a constant bubble of their poor moral compass.

In different faiths, Hell is believed to be real or a constructed place to scare people. In Dante’s Inferno, 9 Circles of Hell depends on the sin or sins one committed in the living world. For example, smaller sins: an inward bad attitude regarding school, a judgmental thought, the silent treatment, a “secret” lustful thought, or just simple impatience, will end up in Limbo or the Lust circle. These sins get “easier punishments.” Larger and bigger sins: pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, and gluttony, will end up in Fraud and Treachery circles. People who have done these, have painful and tortuous punishments. For example, Judas, who was Jesus’ apostle, whom Jesus trusted with his life, was driven by envy. Judas loved his country and thought Jesus had failed it. His jealousy led to envy which led to betrayal. He shared Jesus’ whereabouts for 30 pieces of silver. Judas had betrayed his friend and leader due to his moral dilemma over taking him without him rationalizing the possibilities. Now, he never rests and will forever carry the biggest sin.

Troy Piwowarski’s philosophy can be summed up with the psychological way the mind works, carrying a sin means simply recognizing it, remembering it, a paradox of human emotion: “But if betrayal is given with trust, as the opposite seed buried within it, then this paranoid demand for a relationship without the possibility of betrayal cannot really be based on trust. Rather it is a convention devised to exclude risk. As such it belongs less to love than to power. It is a retreat to a logos relationship, enforced by word, not held by love.”

The human mind and heart are complex and fascinating. Emotions stem from how the human heart feels. However, the concrete start of jealousy can come from anything in a person’s life and experiences. Extreme jealousy usually includes low self-esteem, high neuroticism, and feeling possessive of others. Despite these reasons, a person doesn’t always need a motive to be who they are or to do something bad. They are just that and decide to lose all sense of human sympathy or compassion.

Betrayal and jealousy can become vivid human emotions. These feelings work as powerful catalysts, pushing people to make decisions that have the potential to bring calamity. Born out of any experience, insecurity, or spite. Jealousy can lead to betrayal as people try to ruin someone’s life with or without a real reason. One might uncover the darker reality of human psychology and the effects of these emotions, finally shedding light on the terrible mess of chaotic feelings.