The problem that we have in society today is that for some reason, people think they have the right to judge and speculate on other people’s lives. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that my friend, is incorrect. Everyone has grown up or is currently growing up in an environment that is like a foreign country to you. Their way of life may be something that is completely trivial to you; on the contrary it is their means of survival.
Do you ever find yourself staring off into the distance at someone who seems unlike the norm? Someone who wears different clothes that rival the current fashion trend? Someone who sticks out like a sore thumb? Someone who utters the words with their body language and behavior that they do not belong? And what do you do? I admit it, the old me would be laughing and ultimately judging that person with my best friend sitting beside me about their outfit and that god-awful hair. What in the world were they thinking? I can almost guarantee that everyone has been in this situation. Multiple times. Maybe you were even on the receiving end.
The only question that amounts to anything is: Why do I care? Why do you care?
It took me years to finally figure out that it does not matter that someone is different than me. It does not matter that they have different opinions and views on topics of conversation. The only thing that matters is people are different for specific reasons, we weren’t ever meant to be the same. So, I beg the question, why does it matter to you?
After countless psychology classes and the absurd college campus scene, I have not only learned to embrace the differences of others, I can see the beauty in it. Everyone’s life is motivated by outside factors that are not always seen by the naked eye. Each individual is just that, an individual for a reason. Something along this road we call life, shaped us into who we are today. It could have been something small, or it could have been life changing, but I promise you, your personality and your behavior in some way, shape, or form reflects your trials and tribulations.
You may have grown up with parents who spoiled you with everything you ever asked for and then some. On the other end of this scenario is someone who has lived in poverty their entire life, who may have even had to work from the time they were old enough just to help put food on the table. When these two different backgrounds encounter each other, you can bet they will have a different perspective about the world and life itself. But that is the amazing part, we can learn from each other and maybe even learn about ourselves if we could, for once, look past the obvious appearance of their outfit or hair color, and care more about who they are as a person.
Because someone was raised differently than you and has values that do not coincide with yours, does not give you the right to judge. We, as individuals from different pasts, need to try to gain insight into others before we reprimand them for being “different.”
Next time you encounter someone that is unlike you, remember that there is a reason everyone is not the same.
