Are we following the rule of never judging a book by its cover?

I’ll bet we don’t know how much of our thoughts and beliefs are guided by social conditioning. What do we think of each other based on appearances, interactions and social norms?   Are we really being fair in our assessments?  Are we following the rule of never judging a book by its cover? Are we aware of how much energy it takes to make sure we stay in our box while keeping others in theirs?  It’s in everything we do from day we are born. When a boy is arrives, we put him in blue and immediately talk about his future in sports, if it’s a girl we dress her in pink and talk about how beautiful she is. I think it’s interesting how a family (that I read about) decided not to announce the sex of their child.  They wanted to see exactly how much of their baby’s early life would be based on conditioning.  I can remember one of my first Aha moments about such a thing.  When conservative Ed Bradley from 60 minutes whipped out his saxophone at an awards event and owned it, I was blown away.  When you read about accomplished authors, musicians, journalists, athletes and others and then find out that their first love is something other than what they came to fame for, you are left wondering how or why?  Why can’t a tough war reporter be an awesome cake decorator?  The point is when we spend way too much time trying to make others fit into our preconditioned belief system (of how we want them to be) that we often miss out on the real gems of life.  The words and wisdom that were gotten through serendipitous life paths can often be a beacon to us ~ like a moving shimmer from a lighthouse guiding our ship through the night.  The thing is, we just don’t know from whom these moments will come, we don’t know when and we don’t know where.  Our job is to be open to listen for them, to always be looking for them as they are delivered (almost always) in a casual way.  Seeking inspiration through well-known leaders is great too, but often times the things that stick are the unexpected words of understanding, experience, clarity and perception that fill the holes of our misunderstanding.  I have learned lessons from tiny children and from the very old; each treasured gem is equally important in my growth as they have equally contributed to me being a better person in every way.  So next time you feel that you are not being understood, not respected or simply cannot see things from another’s perspective, remember these words: It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts!

Lisa Ekanger Your Hometown Realtor!