Sunday, October 14, 2012

These Are The Times To Not Assume

In society we often make assumptions, we come to conclusions without knowing the background. There are communication issues and people assume things all the time. We must not assume we know what is going on, but rather that we do not know the other side, and need to be understanding. People react to things in different ways, and it is not our place to judge them. We need to simply love them and give them the benefit of the doubt. We do not know what is going on in their lives- these are the times to not assume. 

Dieter F. Uchtdorf relayed the following story about making assumptions:

"There is an old Welsh story from the 13th century about a prince who returned home to find his dog with           blood dripping down its face. The man rushed inside and, to his horror, saw that his baby boy was missing and his cradle overturned. In anger the prince pulled out his sword and killed his dog. Shortly thereafter, he heard the cry of his son—the babe was alive! By the infant’s side lay a dead wolf. The dog had, in reality, defended the prince’s baby from a murderous wolf.

Though this story is dramatic, it demonstrates a point. It opens the possibility that the story we tell ourselves about why others behave a certain way does not always agree with the facts—sometimes we don’t even want to know the facts. We would rather feel self-justified in our anger by holding onto our bitterness and resentment. Sometimes these grudges can last months or years. Sometimes they can last a lifetime"
This story is a very dramatized version of what happens when people make assumptions, but it does a wonderful job of portraying what assumptions have the power to do. We simply cannot make assumptions. There are too many people that can get hurt from doing so. As in the story, we cannot let ourselves assume, we must see the whole picture before we come to a conclusion. There are many fights and arguments that can be avoided by simply waiting, and seeing the whole picture. There are reasons behind every action, these are the times to not assume. 
There are times when we know the truth behind why someone is the way they are, yet- we still find room to judge them, and assume that we are right to judge them- simply because it is a natural human reaction. This is false. We cannot assume we have the right to judge anyone, regardless if we think we know what they are going through. It is completely natural for people to come to assumptions about others, but- we must change that. We must love everyone, and know that they too are struggling, or going through something. We must understand others, and simply love. These are the times to not assume.

Sometimes the hardest people to love, are the ones that need it the most. People struggle, and they do so in different ways, what could be hard for one person could be easy for another. We cannot assume that everyone feels the way that we do about certain things. Have an open mind, for these are the times to not assume.

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