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| Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash |
It's commonly said that the first impression is the last.
While it's true that whenever we meet someone we imagine things and even make a preliminary analysis about them, the first impression certainly reflects the haste with which we judge others.
But can we, at the first moment, evaluate the character of others?
Indeed but caution is needed on this first impression as it may lead to false conclusions. For example, shy or reserved people can be considered unfriendly at first glance while mocking or light-hearted creatures may appear only cheerful, in superficial contact.
What is important is that before getting to know someone deeply, we avoid forming firm and irrevocable opinions about their character. Keep an open mind for a possible review of the initial impact that someone has on us.Take your time before judging others
Sometimes we experience an influx of immediate and profound sympathy for a new friend. However, it's convenient to get to know them better before opening our life and hearts to them
In other occasions we may even feel an immediate dislike for others. In the same way, we must not close the door to understanding just based on a hunch. After controlling the first impulse, try to understand the essence of the other person before labeling them as good or bad.
Emotional Caution
We must learn to use reason in our social life. Neither too close, nor ice cold before getting to know better who arrives in our lives.
An because we often allow great intimacies to strangers who we immediately sympathized with, it's important to remind about emotional caution. Emotional caution does not mean being a bad or cold person. It's just a preventive protection against the world we live in, full of ignorance and violence.
Disappointments
And how to handle disappointments?
For example, we received guest in our house, told our secrets without any caution and then, we felt entitled to say that the new friend let us down. Turns out that people are not always what they appear to be.
Others are what they are, not what we think they should be. No one has an obligation to meet our expectations since the expectations are ours. We are the ones who created them, in our absence of discernment.
We are all fallible because we are human. When we say that someone has disappointed us, we must think that the responsibility for the disappointment is ours. It's us who created an illusion from the other person.
Educate our emotions
It is important that we educate our emotions so we don't expect more from others than they can give.
It is also necessary to know others well before qualifying them one way or another. Only when we perceive their defects and virtues will we be able to identify their intentions.
Final Thoughts
Perceiving the difficulties of others, and yet loving them is a sign of emotional and spiritual maturity. Let us therefore take care of the first impression that others make on us.
With time, discretion and discernment, we will discover the people with whom we have a real affinity. Knowing the other person well is the best we can do to love them without prejudice or unrealistic expectations.
Let us educate our emotions so that we are not driven by impulses.
