Deception

I heard about someone this weekend who is in the hospital and on suicide watch. I read a comment by a family member of this person who said something to the effect of “things were not as they seemed.”

Reading that got me thinking about how often that phrase is often true. Our perceptions of others are based on the small amount of interaction we have with them. For the most part, we have no idea what other people are going through. Even those we are closest too are able to hide pretty much anything. And how many times have you hidden things from people?

I can think of several times in my life where I have hidden pretty big things from even my close friends.

“What’s the point?” you may be asking, “We all hide things from other people, so what?”

The point is that in realizing how often we hide things from each other we can be a little more sensitive to why people act certain ways. Your co-worker is being a jackass. Maybe there is more to the story. Or someone you know is being more quiet than normal. Instead of ignoring that person because they’re not being social, how about reaching out in love? Instead of immediately reacting to your co-worker’s aggravation with annoyance, how about taking a moment to ask why yourself they are acting that way?

Sounds simple, but it’s not so easy to put into practice. However, a little empathy can go a long way.

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