The Good In Others

As we go through life, we encounter so many dislikeable people along the way, whether they are your childhood friend or your group partner at school. There will always be someone you just don’t feel a connection to in your life. An excellent skill to have, especially at our ages, is learning to tolerate these kinds of people.

Recently, my school got a new student. She is quiet, but outspoken when she wants to be. The way that she interacts with other people is different from the rest of us, like she is caught up in her own world and talking to other people is just a social obligation rather than an enjoyable pastime. I watch my classmates react to her, and I see that around 90 percent of these reactions are negative. They comment on the way she looks, the way she talks, even her handwriting.

I realized that they only see the surface, the outer layer of who this girl is. They don’t know her enough to make positive judgments on her, but they haven’t bothered to get to know her because that would be an inconvenience to them.

This is exactly the kind of situation that builds us up to be better people. See the good in others, even when others don’t. Learn to tolerate people that your friends don’t, and make a point of getting to know someone, even if it is just a little bit, before you make judgments on their character. Learning skills like this help us to be better-rounded people in the future. It’s hard to make friends in life when you immediately jump to conclusions about the other person. The saints and Jesus saw the good in others, and they acted accordingly: with love and kindness. Seeing Jesus in other people is what leads us to make good decisions. Everyone is going through something, so be kind to the people in your life. See Jesus in others and life will be easier when you know you’re treating people with love and compassion.

"Where ever there is a human being there is an opportunity for kindness." -unknown