Perception:

We often judge people by their exteriors, making an instant judgement based on what the person looks like in that one moment. How do we know that they haven’t had the worst day of their lives, or that they have lost their home or job and need help, or perhaps they have had a bad relationship? We never know until we communicate with someone. So why is it that we judge without getting the full story?

For instance, I see so many homeless people in our city, and some of them look scary so when I’m walking alone I admittedly may cross the street to preserve my safety a little more (again, a perception that my safety may be compromised), but other times I’ve actually stopped to talk to them, and they are very nice people. Occasionally I’ll buy a meal for one as well, and try to make their day a little brighter. It’s so easy for us to judge, but we don’t even know why they are out there or what has happened to them in life to put them into this situation. So why is it that we get to think negative thoughts about them?

We make judgements everywhere we go, such as the grocery store, hallways as we pass by each other, coffee shops, malls…….EVERYWHERE. What if instead of judging, we were actually compassionate? Compassionate towards the person that we know nothing about. We don’t know their story, so why is it that judgement is often jumped to first instead of compassionate understanding? If you just had the worst day of your life, would you want someone to sneer at you in judgement because you didn’t put on makeup or do your hair nicely that day? I’m pretty sure your answer will be probably not. While judging someone else may not always be the first reaction, it is very common.

What I am working on personally is to be more compassionate, and more mindful of my reactions, thought patterns, and facial expressions etc. I believe that a more compassionate world would help to reduce the amounts of violence and crime, and create more peace. It is my goal to help spread this mindset and create a more positive atmosphere in which we all can live. Join me in spreading kindness and compassion, one person at a time. We all can make a difference in our own personal spaces, which will ripple out and affect this around us. Imagine what would happen if the majority of people could do this? The world would be an amazing place. Let’s create a better world to live in : )

Comment below with your thoughts on how we can achieve this!