I’m in a restaurant. At a large round table off in the corner I see a goth, a jock, a nerd, a priest, a rabbi, a drag queen, a cowboy, a lawyer, a politician, a philosopher, a psychologist, a blind woman, a deaf child, a hippie, a hipster, a disabled veteran, a black teenager, a police officer, a musician, and a biker all sitting together. Who is the most judgmental person in this scenario?
Based on the information provided: it’s me! Why? Because other than using my eyes I have no other data than my perception. My perception is not a truth. I have not heard anyone speak. I am an unreliable narrator in this scenario. Based on the 20 descriptors given, you may have even found yourself beginning to make assumptions about how the people mentioned might behave. You may even be assuming that there were 20 people at this table, ignoring the fact that one person alone may be accounting for multiple attributes.
However, we know nothing about their character. Our eyes may foolishly believe we know these people, and if we allow our sight alone to be judge and jury before any actions or behaviors are presented, we are doing no one, ourselves included, any justice in this scenario. Actions and behaviors determine the nature of one’s character: not a uniform.
