As one grows up, you hear quite frequently “don’t judge a book by its cover”, as if the phrase really impacts our young minds. We hear it as we grow older, and the act itself becomes a problem, a social norm that many face everyday. You are either the one who will impact someone’s life in a negative way before getting to know them, or you are on the receiving end. Many face both ends of the deal because it is a reoccurring trend. Going into adulthood, the problem still stands although some tend to teach the well known phrase as stated before, but do not live by its standards. Many judge based on the stability of one’s life, whether or not it looks great on the outside and worthy of acceptance, or if it looks too extravagant and possibly too good to be true. People will judge all of the characteristics of someone, from race and sexuality to the simple fact that someone’s hair style isn’t absolutely perfect at all times. They will judge the house you live in, the car you have, body type, your complete lifestyle. They will either mock your life or envy it.
What needs to be taught is to not just say the phrase “don’t judge a book by its cover”, but to actually live by those words. Everyone has their own story, their own life numbered by separate days as pages. Every milestone is a new chapter. So why should we judge someone on the outside when we honestly do not know their story? The problems someone can face everyday can be devastating, going unknown for the rest of the world. Not only do they have to face judgements’ before someone even takes the chance to know who they really are, they face problems you will never know of, things that will always go unseen because they can not bare for anyone else to find out how they really feel inside, how vulnerable they are. I find myself looking back on the times I judged someone, and the times I was judged by others, and how horrible I felt inside. I felt as if I wasn’t good enough for the people around me. I’ve realized over time that I can not possibly judge someone’s life when they can’t change it. It’s who they are, how they grew up, what they learned to be. Yes, there are people who make choices in this world that reflect back in a negative way, decisions that are judged solely because they are not pleasant for this society. But for the people who do not get to choose where they grow up and how they live, people who love their life even if it isn’t the best way to go about, for the one’s who make other’s around them happy, they should not be judged. Impacting the world in a beautiful way by shining light for everyone, even in bad times, is priceless.
“It’s easy to judge. It’s more difficult to understand. Understanding requires compassion, patience, and a willingness to believe that good hearts sometimes choose poor methods. Through judging, we separate. Through understanding, we grow.” – (Doe Zantama) Instead of surpassing the phrase “don’t judge a book by its cover” we as people should learn from it, take its words and grasp them fully. To understand, not to judge. Everyone is different in their own way, today’s society by now should have learned to accept that fact. We can’t change someone for who they truly are, for how they feel inside. Don’t judge each other, we all have our own problems. Things that we can barely handle on our own. Keep your eyes on your own path unless you’re invited to travel within another. And when you get the invitation, help; don’t judge.
i need a touch of madness; 