Monday, April 30th

As we had been talking about fear and differences among people, I though I would reflect on an interesting point that I heard during my seminar that I attended today. I was thinking about the fear people have when faced with individuals who are different than them, whether race, gender, handicap, or what have you. It occurred to me that while we may not want to admit that we make preconceived notions about others (aka prejudice), even I myself make judgments based on appearance.

We were in a small classroom like setting with about thirteen people comprised mostly if white women, a few men, and one black women. I draw special attention to the fact that there was one black woman because this is what provoked my thoughts about our class. Without knowing anything about this woman, I immediately made quick judgment about her based on how she looked, but after a while I later learned that most of my judgments were ungrounded. I assumed that she was not highly educated and probably from a low SES background; however, I was proven wrong because it turned out that she is highly educated with a license in nursing (RN) and a law degree. I felt absolutely guilty for even demeaning her character and education, but it proved to me that one cannot "judge a book by it's cover."

I know this sounds as though I am prejudice, and I only hope that I did not offend anyone who is reading this. My point here is to illustrate the importance of being open-minded, even to those who are different than us because you never know who might be in the presence of, and you may do yourself a disservice by not allowing yourself to get past the differences and really get to know somebody.