#45. Just an Illusion
You know the old adage, you never get a second chance to make a first impression? How much of those first impressions are based solely on appearance?
I believe, no matter how noble a cause, no one is immune to making a judgment based on looks. Of course, they’re easily adjusted upon further interaction, but a definitive, superficial start nonetheless.
I asked my wife the other day if she goes down that road every time she meets someone new. If there is anyone in my life that displays the qualities that might suggest they don’t evaluate folks based on their looks, it would be her — sort of my moral compass.
Well, what do you mean?
I mean, do you judge people, however small a judgement it might be, on their appearance?
She hesitated. The conversation seemed to tail off before it really started. Not because she didn’t want to participate but because her attention was diverted. But not before I got, what I believed to be, an “I suppose so.”
The reason I asked was because I always try to check myself before my mind starts telling stories about people before I get a chance to know them — as much as you can from a first meeting. But no matter how hard I try, something always pops in my head. And I wanted validation that I was not a bad person.
And I had to laugh recently because on my way back from camping, I bought a couple of camouflage baseball caps for myself and my daughter. We had stopped at Wal-Mart, en route back home, to replenish our supplies while the needs were fresh on our mind. The caps were clearly necessary.
I hadn’t shaved for a over a week. I was wearing a not-so-white crew neck t-shirt and with my new cap sitting back on my head, I looked like, well, not even close to what I usually look like. I could only imagine what stories folks could tell about me.
