Ignorant Judgement
"Where is the Love" by The Black Eyed Peas has been at the top of my playlist all week. It is almost as if we have backtracked all of the progress we have made in uniting the UNITED STATES. I am not going to say we have ever been in full unity in the course of our country's history, but we have made a lot of progress in the past 50 years, and now it seems as if we are becoming more and more separated. The media absolutely does not serve as a helping hand in bringing communities together- it's actually quite opposite. It seems as if the media's main intention is to make people upset.
Imagine what kind of world we lived in if we judged off of action, intention, or even experience versus visual qualities. We all of a sudden aren't so judgmental anymore. We become more sympathetic; more human.
First, we must understand that judgement is a human instinct we cannot escape. It is in our genetic make up. Judgement came from the homo-habilis days where we had to judge whether or not we needed to fight or take flight in order to save our lives.
Did you know, that within the first 3 seconds of meeting somebody for the first time you subconsciously (or consciously) judge whether or not this person is physically attractive?
When we speak to people, we have to judge our reactions to the nature of their conversations. When we meet new people, first impressions are just judgements that decide what these people will think of us. When we deal with people at work, or even in just day to day life, we need to judge our actions that will represent our character or professionalism.
We are born blind to bigotry and hate, then our society's constructive norms determine how we interpret the lives around us. Perception is reality.
Judgment is natural, however, hasty judgement is not.
Hate is a learned trait, not inherited.
Racism is a learned behavior, not an instinct.
Both equal in their disgusting value.
These influences: our morals, community, and our friends and family are what teach us our core personal values. These values help shape first impressions. The encounters made afterwards are what help us determine what to do next with the people we meet. Do we trust them? Do we disagree with their beliefs? Do we want to pursue a friendship with these people? Unfortunately, the hardest things to change about somebody are the things and ideas taught to us that are so ingrained into peoples heads at a very young age that embody their identity. Our morals, religion, values, toleration, etc. We may all come from different backgrounds and cultures, but one thing is for certain- we are all one human race.
"No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin or his background, or religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate they can be taught to love. For love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite." - Nelson Mandela
So my friends, my challenge to you is to try and look a little deeper with your eyes and silence your hasty judgements. See people for who they are, not what they are.