This post is especially for our children, helping them to respect the differences that they can see when meeting someone new, but as an adult we can examine how we act or react when we meet someone new too. It is said that when meeting someone new we draw a conclusion about that person within 10 seconds of meeting them, whether they are equal to, greater than or less than ourselves.
Having said that we have all heard the expression, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” Teaching our children not to look at someones clothes, how they look or act and decide if we are going to like them or not. Some people are going to be taller or shorter, darker skin or lighter skin, blue eyes or brown eyes, dress in one way or a different way. They may be in a wheelchair or able to walk, have a happy disposition or there may be reasons that they are not as happy. We do not know them without getting to know who they are, what they like, and how they will behave when they are with friends. It is only after we have spent some time with them and see how they will treat us and what we have in common as well as what we can learn from them – before we know if we like them or not.
Rejecting someone as a friend because of the way they look- is not showing acceptance and may leave us with fewer friends.