We're Halfway there...

We all have biases. We only look at things we want to see, listen to those that we wish to hear and even respond only to that which we think make sense. We see things differently. And this applies not only to the material world. Our preconceived judgments even apply to people. We look at people differently and most of the time we classify people based on our colored judgments.

But how are we ought to understand a person’s worth. Is it based on his capacity to respond to every question you throw at him? On his capacity to think and to prove that he is intelligent? Is it based on a person’s innocence and capacity to love? Is it measured by the glitter that he wears? Is man his brain or his heart?  Surely there are no definite answers. And just like everyone else, my answers to the questions I have raised must have also been conditioned by my experience, my biases and my beliefs.

But how should we see the world? And how should we look at people? Because surely, our perceptions change based on which faculty we chose to use – the mind or the heart.

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Each person has a story. But most of the time, even before a person shares that story, our biases have already clouded our eyes. We immediately point out a person’s flaw and box him in a stereotype. We tend to immediately look at a person based on what we think rather than being welcoming of that which he wants to share. We terminate the opportunity to know a person.  We lay down our impressions and we look at that person like there is nothing more than that which we see in him.  We are not letting the other share his story. Instead, we are creating our own interpretation of the pages and we think ahead, presuming that we know what is coming next. Every encounter is not a surprise but rather a mere validation of what we think towards the other. And because of these, we become indifferent.

Most of the time, we forget to be more understanding. We forget the inevitable reality that each one of us is imperfect. We forget that we are flawed – a fact that applies not only to the other but also to you and me.  Confucius said “To not do unto others what we do not want others to do unto us.” I say, “What you think of others is probably what others think of you too.” It’s elementary logic.  You just have to think that despite all our differences, we are all alike. And in that alikeness, we are all equals. And because we are essentially equal, we ought to respect each other. And if we can only put into consideration the reality that we all have untold stories, then may, just maybe, we can look at each other with more compassion. 

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Together with the fast paced lifestyle, man has become more intelligent.  But in the end we ask – Who among us have proven to be the better person? YOU DECIDE.