Empathy
I’m not as dumb as I look, so Don’t Judge
Get to know people before you look down on them
It occurred to me that I have been here before, as I returned from a patrol twenty minutes late. I managed to hit all the keys, but it took too long. I ignored the glances from my co-workers and supervisor.
I was a Security Guard
I was lucky. I made it through what I later would call “The audition”, I didn’t get fired and I worked at that site for three years. After my coworkers got to know me, they told me what I already knew. They thought I was too slow or dumb to do the job, or they thought I was dogging it.
It was a never-ending loop. I would find a job, I would have trouble learning the ropes and fitting in. If given a chance I would turn into a valued employee, but often I was fired without being given that chance.
Being a security guard wasn’t my life’s dream
My parents wanted me to work as a security guard because I failed at everything else I tried. I have always bristled at the “He’s slow” label. I was reading at a college level before I got to high school. I can hold conversations with anyone from a high school dropout to a Ph.D. I’m not dumb.
I am Dyslexic and a little colorblind. When I was young, the doctors told my parents that I was “Brain Damaged.”
When I was homeless in Minneapolis, I went through a series of tests. My brain is not wired right. It’s hard for me to explain, but the doctor’s comment was, “your brain is interesting.”
Your Brain is interesting
I can be a hard person to get to know. I’m shy at first, and my manner can be off-putting. When people get to know me, they think I’m pretty cool.
First impressions are not always accurate. We need to put ourselves in the other person’s shoes when we meet a new coworker or neighbor.
People can be mean, especially when they don’t understand
People are too quick to label and judge. None of us are perfect, and we all have insecurities. We are missing out by not getting to know someone who might not be as quick as we are.
Final Thought:
That person we are judging could be a valued coworker and a good friend. So get to know them before you put that person in a box.
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