Ever had someone look at you with disdain? Ever then wonder why that was the case? Why the denigration? What you did to receive this? I have asked myself these questions countless times because I have in fact been treated in such a way by one or two people during my early days. I always was searching for the reasons, but they were only ever unclear to the point of being non-existent. Of course this was around the time I was very young with so much of my life ahead of me. But as a kid, I always remember myself as someone who was quite hesitant to make the first move. I never saw myself doing anything to disrespect another and I never really stood out in terms of character. So I'm left to believe I've done nothing wrong. Yet I still somehow ended up becoming a victim of intense hatred from a couple of fellow students. It then got me questioning whether it is still frequent for anyone to behave in such a manner as an adult. This leads me to a broader topic of discussion. Judgement, and how it's formed.
You know how that saying goes. Don't judge a book by its cover. This just happens to be one of my absolute favourite idiomatic phrases. So simple and clear cut. So strong in signification. So easy to use. It is something I can relate to an awful lot. And it is indeed another of my old blog works I'm here to revisit. First of all we're to ask why this phrase exists, which should only take seconds to answer as it is so obvious to figure out. It's telling us to be more logical with our opinions. It's teaching us to take our time and think carefully. It's pushing us to test acuity and evade absurdity. Long story short, this phrase is wanting us to avoid 'bad judgement'. What is 'bad judgement' here? The same as it generally is. It's the final thoughts constructed without any proper basis. It's the opinions on someone or something formed with very little depth. It's reaching a conclusion without any analysis or greater understanding of the subject at focus.
This takes me back to the couple of kids who developed an inexplicable loathing for me. They did so without truly getting to know me. They took one look at me and decided that I wasn't good enough to win their respect. It's an ultimate example of 'bad judgement'. Of course as mentioned earlier, we were all just kids starting school. We weren't yet equipped to see the whole picture, so it makes more sense for poor judgement of character to take place. But it still ended up becoming a mistake. How so? Well it wasn't their first impression of me that was the problem. It was them continuing to stick with it for the many years to come. They still saw me the same way as they grew older, and never came to rethink their approach. They refused to see where they ended up wrong. This tells me they just weren't good judges of character whatsoever.
Bad judgement is very easy to accomplish. It's simply looking at the right areas, only to judge them in the incorrect manner. Here are a few examples. Hating someone who makes a bad move by accident and apologises for it. Hating someone who looks attractive, yet shows no signs of bloated conceitedness. Liking someone for taking risks, not considering the harm they're doing to others. There are dozens of ways to go about judging things with little comprehension. There are even areas that people just shouldn't be judged from at all. Exactly what areas are inappropriate to base opinions on? Well it's basically anything the mind can't control. Our families, our relatives, our upbringing, where and when we are born, the conditions we're left to tackle, etc. Finally there are areas that depend on how we look at them ourselves, with probably the most prominent of them all being the one I'm about to dive right into. Appearance.
You know how that saying goes. Don't judge a book by its cover. This just happens to be one of my absolute favourite idiomatic phrases. So simple and clear cut. So strong in signification. So easy to use. It is something I can relate to an awful lot. And it is indeed another of my old blog works I'm here to revisit. First of all we're to ask why this phrase exists, which should only take seconds to answer as it is so obvious to figure out. It's telling us to be more logical with our opinions. It's teaching us to take our time and think carefully. It's pushing us to test acuity and evade absurdity. Long story short, this phrase is wanting us to avoid 'bad judgement'. What is 'bad judgement' here? The same as it generally is. It's the final thoughts constructed without any proper basis. It's the opinions on someone or something formed with very little depth. It's reaching a conclusion without any analysis or greater understanding of the subject at focus.
This takes me back to the couple of kids who developed an inexplicable loathing for me. They did so without truly getting to know me. They took one look at me and decided that I wasn't good enough to win their respect. It's an ultimate example of 'bad judgement'. Of course as mentioned earlier, we were all just kids starting school. We weren't yet equipped to see the whole picture, so it makes more sense for poor judgement of character to take place. But it still ended up becoming a mistake. How so? Well it wasn't their first impression of me that was the problem. It was them continuing to stick with it for the many years to come. They still saw me the same way as they grew older, and never came to rethink their approach. They refused to see where they ended up wrong. This tells me they just weren't good judges of character whatsoever.
Bad judgement is very easy to accomplish. It's simply looking at the right areas, only to judge them in the incorrect manner. Here are a few examples. Hating someone who makes a bad move by accident and apologises for it. Hating someone who looks attractive, yet shows no signs of bloated conceitedness. Liking someone for taking risks, not considering the harm they're doing to others. There are dozens of ways to go about judging things with little comprehension. There are even areas that people just shouldn't be judged from at all. Exactly what areas are inappropriate to base opinions on? Well it's basically anything the mind can't control. Our families, our relatives, our upbringing, where and when we are born, the conditions we're left to tackle, etc. Finally there are areas that depend on how we look at them ourselves, with probably the most prominent of them all being the one I'm about to dive right into. Appearance.
It hurts to learn that we can live in societies today where anyone's character is both inaccurately and unjustly determined through how they look. From schools spitting on individual identities to work places rejecting applicants based on size, shape and even nationality. From young kids picking on the disabled and the disadvantaged to anybody just simply liking or hating someone based on how 'attractive' they are. Regardless of how much effort we put into our appearance or whether or not we put in any at all, there is always going to be at least one time when others focus on it as a means to heavily influence our direction in life. Take it from me, as I have experienced such judgement a few times already and it isn't at all pleasing to hear. While I'm all for honesty, to be told that my appearance and build are not good enough for most things is still a kick in the guts.
You could say this another reason for why I hide behind my clothing and gear (A Name Without A Face). My work here doesn't require me to show my face. I don't want what I look like to mean anything, nor do I want it to have any impact on the content I provide. This blog and everything else I have posted on Google Plus, are to implicate that our actions should define our character. I let my respect for others speak for me. I let my gear fetishes speak for me. I let It's The Self That Matters speak for me. My face is only like the tags that come with newly bought clothes. They will say something, but mean very little and occasionally get in the way. None of this is to say I won't consider a face reveal later down the track. And certainly none of this means that I don't appreciate how I look as a person. I just don't currently see the significance my actual appearance has in what I do both here and everywhere else.
You're looking at the picture above. Your first thought might be 'What a strange figure' as you also ask yourself 'What on Earth is this person doing?'. I wouldn't blame anyone for thinking like that. I most likely would share the same view. But what about extending that view. To use more than just the eyes. To look beyond what can already be seen. To learn more about the person hidden in this photo and discover what else they have delivered. Is it truly okay in any way for somebody to make judgement with little understanding of the details within their reach? Obviously you know that I am the figure in the photo and you'd already have some idea of how I'd feel if I was on the receiving end of such behaviour. I'd be genuinely upset if I ever found out that I was a victim of superficial vision. To have my entire character determined on one picture alone would for me feel like nothing but a sharp sting. Then again, I would know not to feel at fault. We've all been raised in different conditions and have experienced different events in our lives. Thus our minds all think differently. All I'm left to do here, is inform others that well-formed opinions take time and encourage them to go at least one step further when trying to make one.
Imagine the only thing you saw of mine was this picture. You see a guy wrapped in so many hoodies with a balaclava and beanie covering what appears to be a red mask underneath. You then question what's further underneath that red fabric. You would say that there is a human face, which wouldn't be at all far from true. But what if there was more than that? Who's to say there wouldn't be a blue mask or a green mask or even both? Here is when I discuss the importance of 'layers'. Everyone's overall personality has layers to it. My love for sinking deep into my wardrobe so happens to demonstrate the significant part 'layers' play in each of our lives. For example, say I choose to go out for a walk whilst wearing not one, not two, but THREE morphsuits (I have actually done this before). People would only be able to see one from the outside, not knowing that there are another two being worn simultaneously. The outside layer can represent my strangeness which is how others will see me at the time. The middle layer could represent my cleverness, as I make use out of more than one morphsuit without anyone figuring it out. The inside layer can represent my kindness, as I could be a friendly soul and welcome anything that comforts me. This all can teach you one thing. That there is simply more than meets the eye.
People that write up blogs or explore other similar areas in literacy, tend to be quite complex in character. I like to see myself as one of those people. I am somebody that builds themselves from any knowledge that naturally comes their way. Of course like everyone else, my disliking of certain things depends on the friction between my personality and all that surrounds me. However my views on other people take more time and more effort to become solid. I never consider a certain someone's face or physical features for answers. Instead I learn of their interests, explore their history, study their behaviour and depending on whether I can reach out to them, I test their loyalty and have them trying to earn my trust. As for how I draw my conclusions, it depends on their success in all of the areas. If they succeed, they win my respect and if they don't... well you know what that means.
Poor judgement doesn't have to focus on just people though. There are many other things it can be applied to. For example, most of us tend to prefer an original version of a particular song, with some of us not even feeling the need to listen to any cover we refer to. Same can be said for movies, and how remakes never seem to be as well-received. Another example would be one not liking a particular program without trying out a single episode. How about this one my family strongly relates to? Ever had an unpleasant experience with food. Whether it is dining out or simply buying a particular product from the local supermarket. More than a decade ago, my family discovered an unpleasant taste in a certain brand of milk and assumed it was tainted. Ever since then, we have not returned to that milk. That still remains the case to this very day. What makes that poor judgement you ask? Well we don't consider whether or not the milk has improved from that time and we don't take into account the new and different personnel responsible in bringing it to us. Same can be applied for when we eat at a restaurant. Whenever we failed to enjoy the food we ordered, we would immediately decide to not return to the place we ordered it from. With us, there is no second chances.
I know this may seem like a trivial issue when compared to other matters, but I have found myself easily irritated by such a thing given how it has affected me throughout my life so far. As a matter of fact, I am closely related to someone who is known for forming opinions prior to observing the greater details. This particular person has regularly informed me of their distaste for those they find to have certain unattractive characteristics. This exact same person has shown their disinterest for most of the things I love, without even taking a proper look for themselves. This person has even come on to hate particular food they've never tried before (then again I can't talk much, since I too can share this way of thinking every now and then). A lot of their views are generally preconceived and they often remain solid and difficult to challenge. Yet despite our differing views 'butting heads', I do eventually come to terms with accepting their dissimilar perception of reality. And given who I am, I'm never one to think any less of them because of it. After all, not everyone is the same.
I've always believed that we should be judged for what we do and how we impact other people's lives. But even that requires a lot of thought and understanding. It only seems fair that any reason for one's view of another is both valid and properly deduced. That a series of actions is looked upon thoroughly. That one's intentions are clear. And in what ways does one's behaviour affects those around them. This I consider to be the ideal approach. But my message here is more about avoiding the wrong rather than doing the right. We should all know the way we appear to others is not by any means a good measurement of what we are capable of achieving. And it certainly doesn't determine what values we carry. The ugliest of people may own the sweetest of hearts. The youngest of faces, may hide the brightest of minds and the smallest of bodies can overcome the toughest of tasks. So I coax anyone to do as the phrase suggests and to not judge a book by its cover, because there is every chance that books with the worst covers can contain the best stories.
Travis "TJ" James
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