reconsiderations

the importance of not judging people has reared in my consciousness this week in some funny ways. it's a timely topic also, one that we're discussing at school (on the basis of our personal biases and how they play into teaching), but i have had my own situations to deal with in this area over the past couple of days, that prove that people are far more complex than they appear sometimes:

1. sexist pigs: so while waiting in a public place, i overheard some conversation between some guys that basically displayed some pretty sexist attitudes towards women. i remember thinking "uggh how revolting, what kind of lowlifes am i currently sharing oxygen with?" i had just resigned myself to thinking they were completely worthless human beings, then one of the participants, goes and does something quite redeeming that I end up witnessing. so i had to admit that even he had a good side, that wasn't apparent at first.

2. canyonville boys: after complaining bitterly about being woken up by loud construction noise early last saturday, i actually had a conversation with the workers (although not about them waking us up, we know it's not their fault). turns out the mystery soccer ball laying in the middle of the squash was theirs. they live all the way out in canyonville and are working up here in portland (which makes sense, there's not much work to be had down there), and apparently like to play soccer on breaks. it reminds me of our volleyball games out in the sprint back parking lot, or the guys i saw at wells fargo playing baseball in their cubicles on friday...

so yeah, i had to reconsider some surface impressions i had about people. we were watching crash last weekend, and that movie (although overly exagerrated by my standards, but who knows maybe people in LA are as crazy as they seem on tv) also explores this idea alot, where people are both reprehensible and righteous, depending on the circumstances. people are surprising...you just never know.
as the saying goes, "only fools rush in".
no matter how distasteful someone's actions may be in some situations, they may turn out to have other redeemable qualities, which complicates the picture. sometimes it's better to withhold judgement...