Have you ever read the first line of a book and immediately closed it…put it down…and refused to read it?
I have. Over and over again with many people I meet. I make a quick snap judgement. She does this…he does this…. she is like this….he is like that…. I think she is probably one of those girls… He cusses a lot….and….
BAM! I have already categorized and dismissed them as those who are most likely not going to be my friends. It is an embarrassing and humbling confession and realization that I have come to through my time in Seoul. Many people whom I have grown to love dearly and now call friends…I can remember judging quickly after first meeting them. I had them summed up in my mind like a book I had already read. ONLY I hadn’t. I had no idea of the complexities of their stories.
It is quite simple for one to view another, put a label on them and keep it there, deciding they know a person’s whole story. But the real gift comes when we decide to take the challenge and dive into the uncomfortable place of getting to know someone who may be very different from us. Most likely you will even find some great similarities.
The point is no one is perfect and we all have our “things”. But if we dismiss people right off the bat, we are going to miss out on a lot of great friends and people that we can learn from.
One of the many lessons I have learned from my time here in Seoul. Feeling grateful for these humbling lessons!
