Do you ever look at a couple or family and think they are so happy, they must have a perfect life? Have you looked at a beautifully landscaped home and imagine the perfect family lives inside? Or have you seen someone who is always smiling and assume they have a perfect life?
Looks can be deceiving! We often project what we want people to see on the outside, but inside may be a different matter. The person who is always smiling may live with depression but hide it so she isn’t a burden to everyone. That perfect home may have a couple who are facing a divorce.
The opposite may also hold faulty impressions: the lady who has trouble controlling her three children may be distracted because he husband just lost his job. The child bullying another child may be abused at home. (I am not condoning bullying in any form but unless the child is given help, he/she may not know any better).
So when we make assumptions based on what we see, we don’t allow for the back story of peoples’ lives. Knowing more about a person would often change our reaction to that person. The bottom line is that we just need to be kind and not make assumptions, good or bad, about others based on appearances.
Before you enter into any assumption, knock on the door and take a look inside!