I don’t really think there is a way to perceive others without judging or categorizing them. I do think it is possible to realize you are doing so and put yourself in check a little bit. I think it’s human nature to judge—we judge the good and the bad all the time.
Judging people’s character isn’t always bad. When you walk down a dark street and you judge the creepy looking fella’ who’s following you, you’re using your instincts to tell you to be aware of your surroundings and use them to protect yourself.
When we use our judgments to assume that a customer at work is poor and not going to buy anything so we shouldn’t bother to help them, then we aren’t really doing right.
To make things “fair,” we need to just keep in mind what categories we are putting people in and then we need to make sure that we allow people to change our minds. Maybe that guy who was following you saw that you dropped your keys and he was trying to give them back—so you can be cautious but leave your mind open to change.
I agree with your cautious but open idea. I wouldn't want to be walking through a dark area late at night by myself at all. Let alone if someone was following me. Considering the person may have completely innocent intentions such as they might just be going in the same direction or, like you said, I dropped something and they are trying to return it, it is still important to be cautious. They say it only takes one time to let your guard down and then it's too late.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I agree with the keeping an open mind part. When we see a person we have no idea what they have been through or why they are in the place they are. I think the world would be a better place if people were more open.