THE DEAL WITH PEOPLE

is that they appear worse than they really are.
and more often than not, they are who they are with.
remember that irritating classmate who clinged to you? maybe if you hadn't avoided her so much, she wouldn't have clinged to you as much.
and that ass-licker at work. if you treated him with a wee bit more respect, he would rise to that expectation.
if ever i need to undergo rehab for the influence guilt has over me, the list of people i have to call and apologise to would be really long!
for character assassination of people who have done nothing worse than getting out of bed on the wrong side.
when at the very first meeting someone lands up 15mts late, and i decide to brand him as the one who has no respect for another's time. doesn't matter that he was well on time, till someone crashed into his car!
we are too stingy with the chances people merit, in making an impression. and while on that, first impressions are way too overrated!
i have realised, after repeated misjudgements, that there aren't really that many bad people around. there are just people who get a bad deal, or are in a bad situation, and are not strong enough to not reflect their desperation/frustration as their personality.
like in India. of the thousands of people who live in dire poverty and filthy barracks, only some turn to a life of crime. the rest are still smiling and laughing, and wouldn't hesitate to share their last piece of roti with a stranger. and then there are those who will share the last piece of roti, but will not think twice about stealing from a neighbour.
'being bad' is really not about character -- it is about circumstances.
so the next time you want to judge ME harshly, maybe it's not because i am a 'bad' person, i am just having one of those days!