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Is it the job we have or the clothes we wear? Is it the car we drive or the countries we come from? Is it the title we carry or how many friends do we have? There are millions of combinations, endless ways to define ourselves, but what really makes us us?
How do we decide that someone is good or bad? How many times have you caught yourself thinking: "Nah, that person is bad." Without knowing them, without giving them a chance?
Maybe the way we define ourselves is the same way we define others, fast, simplified, and often wrong.
I remember thinking someone was arrogant just because they didn’t talk much. Later I realized they were just shy, they needed some time to relax and open up.
We judge because it's easy. It saves time. It protects us. But it also builds invisible walls between people.
Maybe it's because we have to. Every day, we meet new people, new situations, new uncertainties.
And our brain tries to keep things simple. We categorize, we label, we decide quickly. Safe or not safe, good or bad, like me or not like me.
I think that's our survival instinct, but the problem is, people aren't that simple.
No one is just "bad".
No one is just "good".
We're all a mix of experiences, fears, habits, and moments. And sometimes, we judge someone based on a single moment, while we judge ourselves based on our intentions.
So maybe what makes us who we are is not what we own or where we come from,
but how willing we're to understand others before judging them.
And maybe the next time we feel the urge to label someone… we could pause for just a second longer.
Ask one more question.
Listen a little more.
Assume a little less.
Because behind every quick judgment
there’s usually a story we don’t know yet.
Written in Germany