Never Judge!

We’ve all heard the saying before “Never judge a book by its cover.” This timeless saying, though old, is new in my heart. Most people do judge people by their outwardly appearances, even if they don’t mean too. Everyone has! We are human; it’s only a part of human nature!

I have heard this saying from as far back as I can remember. I do not remember who I first heard it from, but then again, it’s a very common saying. It wasn’t till I reached pre-school that I began to understand the true meaning of “Never judge a book by its cover.” Of course, back then, I understood it on a very basic level, such as certain food looks strange, but they might taste yummy.

In primary school, there was a janitor who was very old and crusty looking. At first glance, she looked like an old sea captain, tall and firm, with a look of history in her eyes. When I first saw her, I feared her, but as days and weeks passed by, I saw her in a new light. She knew the names of all the students and addressed them as such. She spoke kindly to everyone and often talked to children about how school was going. I greatly misjudged her, for although she looked rough on the outside, inside she had a heart of gold.

My middle school was similar to many others; there were the jocks, the nerds, the popular kids and the creepy kids that most people tried to avoid. I had always labeled people in a certain category, never as one. To me, everyone had a group in which they would mingle among themselves, but never with another group. However, I was proven wrong one day during PE when some kids from Special Ed came to join us in indoor baseball. Everyone was divided into teams, and the game began. As the game continued, one of the Special Ed girls came up to bat. She was for the most part wheelchaired-bound and had to have help doing everything. With help from some teammates, the ball was put into play, and there before my very eyes, I saw my fellow classmates of all different groups working together. They held her hands and helped her walk from base to base; all the while, the other team was purposefully fumbling and tripping. Everyone, from both teams, was cheering her on, and as she crossed over home plate and settled back in her wheelchair, everyone came together to congratulate her, and I saw a smile of happiness, for she had scored the winning run.

We all see people in our own ways: good, bad, funny, serious; but we cannot truly know what they are really like until we get to know them better, or until something comes along and opens our eyes. So, this is why I believe that you should never judge a book by its cover.