Some people start with the assumption that people are stupid. They think others just “don’t get it.” They tell co-workers how to do their jobs, they give friends unsolicited advice and they categorize people so it’s easier to talk about how dumb they are. People like this aren’t much fun to work with, live with or hang out with.

The problem with starting with stupid is that we ultimately make our assumptions our reality. We stop listening to people, we never experience their uniqueness and we stop allowing ourselves to grow and be changed. And all this makes us less likely to be a contributing citizen.

If you start with stupid, you’ll end with stupid. Seems a slippery slope, doesn’t it?

Background on the “Obvious realization” series: This is a series of posts dedicated to my friend Angela who thinks it’s cute that every now and then I have an “obvious realization” that totally changes my life. Here’s the other posts in this series.

Related posts:

1. Obvious realization #1: Health is not about symptom management