You reading this are a prejudiced person who makes assumptions without any real evidence or proof of anything. Now, let’s be fair. I’ve just made a huge assumption about you, but it’s not an unfair assumption. We make assumptions about people all the time, but they aren’t always fair.
People who don’t know me may assume I’m feminine or gay, but I think my girlfriend might disagree. I don’t know. Just a thought. I don’t think she thinks that at all.
Humans, in general, operate out of a narrow sphere of knowledge. We judge people based on what we know and similar experiences. For example, I’m extremely expressive and speak at a higher pitch than most guys. But I was also raised to let my emotions show, and I’m a tenor. There are explanations for what people see about me, but no one who makes those assumptions tries to clarify or confirm what they think.
This is our problem. We forget that things can be seen and influenced from multiple perspectives. We need to stop forming opinions and assumptions without clear and complete information. Check your prejudices at the door and learn to appreciate people for who they are instead of who you think they are. Get to know people and accept that you might be wrong about them because your experiences blinded you to how things actually are for them. Take a step back and learn from them.
Take this challenge: ask questions, get to know them, and learn. That person you never talk to because you think they’re scary might be really sweet and funny. That girl who acts mean might be hiding a deep insecurity. That guy who acts like he’s better than you might just not have known how to phrase what he said in a respectful way. There are a million possibilities. Stop judging and let the wonders of the humans around you become apparent.