virgin islands scene

To forget how to dig the earth and to tend the soil is to forget ourselves.
-- Mohandas K. Gandhi
 

 

Tuesday, June 7, 2022

Assume the least

If you assume the worst about other people you’ll usually be wrong. If you assume the best you’re likely to be disappointed.

Instead, have as your goal to assume the least. Instead of conjuring up all sorts of assumptions about someone else, invest time and energy in genuine understanding.

It’s pretty much impossible to just guess why people say what they say, vote the way they vote, or act how they act. After all, even your own motivations are tricky to discern, and you’re much less able to get inside someone else’s head.

So take care not to let your opinions be centered around baseless assumptions. Neither you nor life in general is well served by mistaken impressions.

Yes, making an assumption is quicker and easier than digging out what’s really going on. But ultimately, truth gives you far greater value than convenience.

People are much more complex and diverse than you’ll ever be able to account for in a simple assumption. When it comes to what you think of others, seek to assume the least and to learn the most.

— Ralph Marston

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