Hey Pogue,

Monday morning. The clank of the letter box and, here I am with thoughts born of wisdom. Good morning.

This week I’ve been thinking about how we form judgements of other people often based on very little actual knowledge. Do you think there might be something slightly wrong in this?

Be careful who you trust.
Even the devil was once an angel

Anon

Example. The western world has largely been Christian in its religious expression for a lot of years and at the centre of that expression has been the person of Jesus. I like Jesus but over the years have struggled with many of his so called followers, however, that’s another story. Now think. How much do you, a well read Christian, actually know about Jesus. OK, you have the birth narrative, which has been greatly twisted over the years, and here’s another story. There is one recorded incident for the following 30 years and then, BANG, Jesus hits the streets shaking his stuff (so-to-speak) and the next 3 years are presented to the reader.

We have 4 accounts, gospels, which overlap and repeat each other but considering these cover 3 whole years there actually is not much. And on the little we have we’ve structured society, fought wars, done government. You get where I’m coming from?

Then there are other cultures that have done a similar thing.

Bring it all down to a more local and personal level. There is undoubtedly a range of people in your life who you have formed an opinion on based on small experience. “Oh, she a good person” or “He’s really kind” may be things we say after only a little contact with that person. Who knows what they get up to behind closed doors! We are apt to form our opinions on the little information that we have and are often to quick to arrive at an opinion only to later backtrack on our thoughts, re-evaluate, maybe even regret initial thoughts.

I don’t know how they arrived where they are, why they think like they do on certain things, feel what they do, but I formed an opinion anyway.

Never judge someone without knowing the whole story. You may think you understand, but you don’t.

Quoteslife101.net

So here’s the take away from my thoughts should you care to want it. Take time to decide on others. Whether you want them in your life and if so, how much so and on what terms. Learn that others who will tell you things do so from their own experience which isn’t like yours. Listen more than you speak. Reserve judgements and be led by kindness.

Yes, you will meet people who are just not “my people” and will know very soon that these people should not occupy your world in any meaningful way. Again, be kind as you remove yourself. Then there will be those who will make an impression on you from the get-go. My advice? Don’t rush in but take care to learn more because, well we’ve all owned shiny things that tarnish as time went on and were not what we initially thought they were.

And Jesus? Well I still think he is pretty cool and we’ve been hanging out together, on and off, for some considerable time. But it has been in the time spent to get to know him that I’ve been able to come to the opinion I now hold. Not what people initially wanted me to know. Take time.

Yours, holding many at arms length,

Wic.