Don't Judge a Book by its Cover

I have never been "that girl" who involves herself in drama. No, I've tried to steer clear of all the drama that comes with being a teenage girl. However, I think we have all fallen victim to silently judging a book by its cover. I'll be the first to admit that there are times when I definitely put a label on people who I don't even know, just based on the few seconds that I see of them in passing or overhear a conversation that they are having. That is one thing that I have been trying to work on the most this semester, not judging. So far, I have to say that I'm doing a pretty good job, but every once in a while I catch myself breaking my good streak and having to start all over again.

The first item I'd like to address is this... "Why are they together, he's soo out of her league!?" First of all, I'm pretty sure I don't believe in the whole "out of your league concept." You love who you love and there's really not anything you can do about it. And besides, the last time I checked, there wasn't a universal scale of goodlooking-ness where people went to look up what their rating was, so how did you get the privilege of randomly selecting a number and assigning it to a person? Love is deeper than just skin deep, it's the emotional bond that you share as well, so who's to judge a couple based on their looks? Not me, that's for sure. What I do know though is that we will never be able to see what somebody sees in somebody else until we get to know that person for ourselves.

The second item I'd like to address is one that is near and dear to my heart. Anybody who is in their right mind knows that there are two sides to every story. Having said this, why are we so quick to jump on and attack one person based on the snippets of information we've heard "through the grapevine?" It's really kind of pathetic how people who have no business sticking their nose somewhere are living through the thrill of drama that comes from butting into other people's business, and judging those people based on the things that they've heard. I know that as humans, it is inevitable that we are going to make mistakes, but I think people need to stop and think about what they say before they say it. A very good friend of mine is going through a tough time with this right now. People are placing harsh judgements on her based on the information they have heard from others. Is this really fair? Not at all. If you want to find out answers, maybe you should try getting both sides of the story instead of just one. If there's one thing I know, it's that if people care enough to bother with what you do and how you live your life, then you're already better than them. Let them think what they will, you know the truth of the matter and that should be all that matters.

There's a movie that kind of reminds me of this topic. I have learned to love the movie Despicable Me. My roommates can tell you that much, because I think I quote that movie every single day... and I have a little inflatable minion chilling out on my desk in my room. Yes, I'm a nerd. But anyways, I really like the theme that comes across in the end. I've found that theme to be having a change of heart. It took getting to know three little orphan girls for Gru, the main character to be able to make a 180 degree change in his life. He started off being this big bad villain, but by the end of the story you can clearly see the change in his life that has taken place. He realizes that his love for these three girls overpowers his love for doing evil. I think that kind of applies in this situation as well. By going around and making judgments about people, we are being no better than a villain and stirring up trouble and contention. We need to remember to find ourselves throughout this process and be able to realize who we are or who we want to become and become that person. I'm almost positive when you think of a good person, the word judgmental is not the first word that comes to mind. We need to quit being the people that we promised ourselves we would never be and think about our actions and words before we end up hurting someone who does not deserve to be hurt. It's funny how big of an impact a children's movie can have on somebody's life. Just to leave with a quote, "Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves."