Accusations

​Accusations
Today I considering those verbally attacked.  I thought of a part of the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S.Lewis where the Professor said, “"Logic!" said the Professor half to himself. "Why don't they teach logic at these schools? There are only three possibilities. Either your sister is telling lies, or she is mad, or she is telling the truth. You know she doesn't tell lies and it is obvious she is not mad. For the moment then, and unless any further evidence turns up, we must assume she is telling the truth.”
That was a total surprise to the kids addressed, but it seems to apply in so much I hear and see these days.  It is like if someone says it, it must be true.
There are a couple of tests I have, but one I was thinking about, I really need to know about the character and motivation of the one making the claim.
I had a situation where someone said something about me that was a total falsity.  Fortunately, nothing came from it, but it was scary, and I thought how easily someone can be believed with no evidence in fact. 
A while back I read about something similar that lead to murder.  It was acknowledged as a tragic mistake but to me that is no consolation to the one who died as a result.  I heard about another person who was falsely accused, and it turned out it was proved to be a false accusation, but the person’s career was ruined, and it cost them heaps to clear their name.
To me it is the one making the accusation that needs to have their character examined first.  Either they are lying, the person accused is mad, or they are telling the truth.  Maybe it takes more time to establish the case than desirable.  Maybe establishing a case is not seen as fast enough so instant justice is metered out.
In the case where murder resulted, (based as it turned out on false information), someone got angry and it led to the act.  It seems to me unbridled anger sometimes leads to regrettable acts.
Whatever happens it seems mud sticks.  A person may be exonerated but a question remains.  A question not built on what may be a lifetime of evidence, but on a false accusation.  A win it seems often comes at the expense of a big loss.
It is one of the reasons I am glad to be where I am.  Justice may seem slow, but it is a given.