Do you ever judge people based on their looks?

I was watching an episode of BraveHeart View recently and this was the topic being discussed.

Ellie Drake, the founder of Brave Heart Women, talked about how painful it was for her when she arrived in America (from Iran) and was judged because she had one eyebrow.  All the women including Ellie had a laugh about it but I can imagine the pain of that experience lasting a long time. For some of us it may be traumatic enough to even last a life time.

We need to be careful about stereotyping people based on their differentness from us. Sometimes it's their skin color, ability and age. Things aren't always what they appear to be. People aren't always who they seem.

Do you remember how Susan Boyle was treated when she first auditioned on "Britain's Got Talent"? I remember people made the assumption that she couldn't sing because she didn't seem to fit the stereotype of what singers look and dress like as in younger, thinner… Many people took one look at her, sized her up and wrote her off thinking that she was really going to make a fool of herself on stage.

And then she opened her mouth singing "I dreamed a dream" and she immediately shut down the naysayers and won the hearts of millions around the world.  I was happy for her from the very beginning because I love to root for the underdog. But that doesn't mean I'm not critical of others. I'm working on not judging.

How can we move past this issue that robs us of treating people with respect without them having to prove themselves?

-         Look beyond the outer package: weight, skin color, clothes, ability, gender, sexual orientation etc.

-          Remember how painful it is or was for you when you are/were judged and show understanding.

-         Accept that underneath it all is a person who needs acceptance just like you.

-         Refuse to participate in conversations that bash people and cut them down.

-         Recognize that when you speak badly of others it reflects badly on you.