I'd like to share a rather good story about the inaccurate paradigms and perceptions we sometimes have towards other people.
A friend of mine, returning to South Africa from a long stay in Europe, found herself with some time to spare at London's Heathrow Airport. Buying a cup of coffee and small package of cookies, she staggered, laden with luggage to an unoccupied table. She was reading her morning paper when she was became aware of someone rustling at her table. From behind her paper, she was flabbergasted to see a neatly dressed young man helping himslef to her cookies. She did not want to make a scene, so she leaned across and took a cookie herself. A minute or so passed. More rustling He was helping himself to another cookie.
By the time they were down to the last cookie in the package, she was very angry but still could not bring herself to say anthing. Then the young man broke the cookie in two, pushed her halk across to her, ate the other and left.
Some time later whne the public-adress sytem called for her to present her ticket, she was still fuming. Imagine her embarrassment when she opened handbag and she was confronted by her package of cookies.
She had actually been eating his.
Consider this lady's feeling towards the neatly dressed young man before the turn of events, "What a rude, presumptive young man." Now imagine here feelings after, "How embarrasing! How kind of him to share his last cookie with me!"
Our paradigms are often incomplete, in accurate, or complete messed up. Therefore, we shouldn't be so quick to judge, label or form rigid opinions of others, or ourselves for that matter. In addition, we should open our minds and hearts to change our paradigms when it becomes clear that they're wrong.