Don't be quick to assume.
First of all, I want to apologize that I haven't written in my blog for quite a while. This past month has been incredible and busy. There has been a lot of events that has happened in the family. But, I have been thinking about assumptions and judgments lately.
We make quick decisions, if you want to read a good book about how we make quick decisions, read Blink. It is really interesting. We put people into "categories" based on their actions and appearance in a few seconds. We judge things based on our limited information. For example, if you meet someone new, you will place them in a certain group. Organizing that way in the brain is easier for you because the brain receives numerous stimulus in one second. If we analyzed every stimulus in depth, we would be in brain overload. So, we assume things and judge based on limited information.
Knowing that is how the brain works, it explains how we can be so judgmental sometimes. What if we tried really hard to not make quick decisions? Sometimes it is good to make quick decisions. When deciding trivial things, it is okay to make quick decisions. When deciding about people, we shouldn't make quick decisions. People are unpredictable and dynamic. They change. Some people may remain static but they always have the option of change. So, we place someone in a category and then they remain in that category for a extended time period. Once they change, they are still in their old category and we don't allow them to change in our mind since they are already categorized. Allow people to change and accept their differences.
When we view others with the "unchanged" set of glasses, we are setting a limit for their growth. An example of this is when we look at a homeless individual. I am currently a intern at Elk Grove Food Bank, so I work with homeless individuals and families in poverty. It is easy to categorize someone as homeless. In my mind, I may view someone as homeless. As they develop a life plan and strategy to have a permenant job and home, I may still view the individual as homeless and therefore, helpless. They will be restricted by my actions and behavior as I treat them as homeless. Does this process make sense? It is sometimes known as the self-fulfiling prophecy.
What if we assume that people change and treat them as dynamic individuals? We don't quickly assume individuals are a certain way and then put them in a category. We allow people to grow based on our assumption that change is possible. Putting individuals in a "box" is restricting.
So, next time you meet someone new, think about your thoughts and perceptions when you first met them. Before you make that initial judgment, stop and don't make it. Have a open mind. It may be hard if you programmed in your mind already to judge quickly. You can "reprogram" your brain though. That is the most interesting part about the brain. The brain changes because of our experiences. So, you can take or it leave it. Just be aware of your snap judgments and how they affect you.
What if Elizabeth Bennett didn't classify Mr. Darcy as prideful the first time they met? They could of fallen in love much quicker. She might not of assumed that he was the bad guy with Mr. Wickam. I am not putting the blame on Elizabeth Bennet because Mr. Darcy classified Elizabeth as prideful as well. How did they fall in love? They removed their "box" or judgment and had a open mind.
So, the message here is to not be quick to assume on limited information.
We make quick decisions, if you want to read a good book about how we make quick decisions, read Blink. It is really interesting. We put people into "categories" based on their actions and appearance in a few seconds. We judge things based on our limited information. For example, if you meet someone new, you will place them in a certain group. Organizing that way in the brain is easier for you because the brain receives numerous stimulus in one second. If we analyzed every stimulus in depth, we would be in brain overload. So, we assume things and judge based on limited information.
Knowing that is how the brain works, it explains how we can be so judgmental sometimes. What if we tried really hard to not make quick decisions? Sometimes it is good to make quick decisions. When deciding trivial things, it is okay to make quick decisions. When deciding about people, we shouldn't make quick decisions. People are unpredictable and dynamic. They change. Some people may remain static but they always have the option of change. So, we place someone in a category and then they remain in that category for a extended time period. Once they change, they are still in their old category and we don't allow them to change in our mind since they are already categorized. Allow people to change and accept their differences.
When we view others with the "unchanged" set of glasses, we are setting a limit for their growth. An example of this is when we look at a homeless individual. I am currently a intern at Elk Grove Food Bank, so I work with homeless individuals and families in poverty. It is easy to categorize someone as homeless. In my mind, I may view someone as homeless. As they develop a life plan and strategy to have a permenant job and home, I may still view the individual as homeless and therefore, helpless. They will be restricted by my actions and behavior as I treat them as homeless. Does this process make sense? It is sometimes known as the self-fulfiling prophecy.
What if we assume that people change and treat them as dynamic individuals? We don't quickly assume individuals are a certain way and then put them in a category. We allow people to grow based on our assumption that change is possible. Putting individuals in a "box" is restricting.
So, next time you meet someone new, think about your thoughts and perceptions when you first met them. Before you make that initial judgment, stop and don't make it. Have a open mind. It may be hard if you programmed in your mind already to judge quickly. You can "reprogram" your brain though. That is the most interesting part about the brain. The brain changes because of our experiences. So, you can take or it leave it. Just be aware of your snap judgments and how they affect you.
What if Elizabeth Bennett didn't classify Mr. Darcy as prideful the first time they met? They could of fallen in love much quicker. She might not of assumed that he was the bad guy with Mr. Wickam. I am not putting the blame on Elizabeth Bennet because Mr. Darcy classified Elizabeth as prideful as well. How did they fall in love? They removed their "box" or judgment and had a open mind.
So, the message here is to not be quick to assume on limited information.
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