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Mis-informed opinion!

How many times has it happened with you that you have had eyes peering on you? Are people jumping to conclusions even before you open your mouth to say something? 

The answer is not a NO for sure. I keep wondering what is it with some people? Or is it me who has just woken up from a long coma kinda sleep?

Everywhere you see, people are being judged. It's easy to get judgmental. You enter a coffee shop, you have a bunch of eyes scanning you from top to bottom, peering so much, that it makes you think that there are X-ray lenses fitted in the eyes. From the kind of clothes you wear to the way you run your house, handle your children, people seem to be labeling you, mindlessly, cruelly at times, all this without looking inside their lives and houses.

And then these are the same kinda bunch, who give their verdict and then pass on their opinion to others. Then there are people who would rather be someone with an informed opinion than form their own.

In English Vinglish, there's a scene where Sridevi asks her niece the meaning of judgmental, and the niece replies, "just by looking at you dressed in a saree, and not knowing you, I can form an opinion that you are narrow-minded, conservative woman, but in reality, you are a free-spirited, forward-thinking woman. That's called being judgmental".

It happens every day, every minute, there are people who look at you and form conclusive opinions, and as I wrote earlier, they pass on their judgments to others, without realizing the fact that sometimes such opinions can be really harmful. 

The way a person dresses has got nothing to do with the way a person thinks, speaks, or lives. It is true that appearances create the first impression, but who said that they have to be lasting impressions?

I have come across many people who are dressed in labels - top to bottom. They do create an effective impression----until, they open their mouth. So, the way someone dresses up is not the decisive factor all the time. 

A woman dressed in a salwar could turn out to be the most educated and knowledgeable while a woman dressed in a skimpy skirt and stilettos, could be fumbling for words, to even communicate.

The same thing happens, when people from different states meet. The typical scenario in my son's school, when I go to pick him up. "You are a south indian?" I say, yes, and then the very next question will be, "oh! you people must be cooking idli sambar everyday?" and I would give an amused expression, and then reply No, much to their surprise. It doesn't stop there, then they are also curious to know, if you add coconut and curry leaves and mustard seeds to north indian dishes like paneer etc.. To which once I asked, "Do you give a jeera ka tadka in desi ghee while cooking pasta or noodles?" and they were like NO, why would we do that? I said exactly, a regional cuisine is prepared as it is supposed to be prepared, so whether you are south Indian, or a North Indian or a Maharashtrian, it doesn't make any difference.

I also asked, do you make rajma or parathas everyday? They said no, they eat bread butter, cornflakes, eggs etc.. I said then what makes you think, that we wouldn't be eating all that stuff? 

You see the colour of the skin, and immediately decide that this person is from South. Agreed, many are dusky/dark down south, but that doesn't mean all dusky toned are from there. 


Some people rely on 'informed opinion' without thinking that they might be losing out on a hardworking potential employee, or a person who could be their true friend, or sometimes a companion. You would never realize that somebody who could help, was in front of you, but you had your mind filled with negative informed opinion, and you lost a chance. That person waving at you or smiling at you, would actually be meaning well, but you chose to believe others instinct, without trusting your own. 

You lost a well wisher, because you were too lazy to form your own... ;)





Comments

  1. Nicely written post and the message is apt for lazy people like me.

    ReplyDelete

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