First we have to develop the skills to cope with our own problems, and then we have to deal with the difficulties of other people; our family members; co-workers, and the general community. This is not an easy task; it takes great fortitude to control our emotional selves. How do we approach some of our most complex problems? First, we have to realize a very basic Truth; we are all in this together, bound by our emotions.

This is why Shakespeare will always be relevant. Though we live in an advanced technological age, he is still the king when it comes to exposing our personal and social interactions. He points out our shortcomings as well as our noble deeds; our fall from grace and our redemption. Shakespeare tells us that, yes, it is what it is; life is messy.

• Romeo and Juliet - Teen love is often a disaster. The adolescent brain is under construction and the frontal lobe is not completely developed. Decision-making skills are poor; the tragic deaths of two teenagers, Romeo and Juliet; messy.

• Taming of the Shrew - Male/Female Relationships. The high spirited and intelligent woman can develop a hard edge; the man who knows how to soften this kind of woman brings balance into her life, and both benefit. This is messy, but doable.

• Hamlet - Living a life of revenge often backfires. It's all negativity and we often hurt innocent people; extremely messy.

• King Lear - Father/Daughter Relationships. Break down in communication; lack of trust; betrayal; broken hearts; really, really messy.

• Macbeth - Blind ambition; violence; murder; loss of morality; a downward spiral that never seems to end; beyond messy.

The list is much longer, but at least you can get a sense of the "drama" that is played out in our lives. Shakespeare captured human behavior in a mirror and showed us a reflection of ourselves, which could be both beautiful and repulsive.

Why read Shakespeare? You can easily find the same information in a psychology journal, a social science lecture, or in any textbook. But there's a hidden advantage to reading the work of Shakespeare; it lights up your brain.

Shakespearean language excites the mind because it tricks the brain to work backwards. Professor Philip Davis, from the University of Liverpool, states the following about the process of reading Shakespeare, ". . . similar to putting a jigsaw together. If it is easy to see which pieces fit together you become bored of the game; but if the pieces don't appear to fit, when we know they should, the brain becomes excited. . . ." The reader finds insight into the simplest things, and becomes more self-aware.

Professor Neil Roberts, from the University's Magnetic Resonance and Image Analysis Research Centre, describes the mental action taking place within the brain when reading Shakespeare, "The effect on the brain is a bit like a magic trick; we know what the trick means but not how it happened. Instead of being confused by this negative sense, the brain is positively excited. . . Shakespeare surprises the brain and catches it off guard in a manner that produces a sudden burst of activity. . . ."

Yes, life is messy. But if we can read through Shakespeare, perhaps we can sharpen our thoughts, and then our lives would be less messy.