Judging by appearance

My mother would always join others to say, “never judge a book by its cover”. As humans, we are constantly driven by an instinct to know and often times, it is our downfall. This is because this instinct to know will make us draw our estimates to situations without critically analyzing all factors involved.

The truth is that no matter how hard you watch a person, you can never really uncover all that there is to that person. Resist the pull of judging by appearances. Appearances can be deceptive, and most times the outer picture presented to the world may be at opposite sides with the true picture.

Oftentimes, through our subconscious mind, beliefs are formed. These beliefs are further strengthened through repetition. If you have a boss that is arrogant, psychology dictates that if you see someone that looks like him, your subconscious will identify similarities and you naturally believe he is also arrogant. I could cite millions of examples and most times, they are actually incorrect assertions.  

My solution before judging people is to get to know them very well so that you can make an informed conclusion. Judging people by their appearance is never okay; be it height, weight, skin tone, dressing or whatever, you do not know their story.

Instead of saying a book sucks when you look at its cover, open the book up, read it thoroughly and then make your decision. Trust me, it will make you a much better person when you understand that people come with stories, histories, and experiences that are different from yours.

I’ll end with a phrase from Phaedrus, “things are not always they seem; the first appearance deceives many”.