We’re wrong

As much as we would like to believe we are a good judge of people (because we are people), most of the time, we are wrong.

Everyone has bad days. And when we act inappropriately or irrationally or loose are temper, we tend to attribute our behavior to the environment. When we see other people do it, we tend to attribute it to their personality.

We justify our actions to fit the story we tell ourselves of how the world works.

Living in a world of abundance, it’s easy to seduce ourselves into thinking that everyone can and should reach the same status.

It’s easy to confuse other people’s miseries with wrong and old assumptions. So let’s be clear: The poor are not poor because they deserve to be. There isn’t something wrong with their personality. They are trapped in their environment.

We have come a long way to restore dignity and opportunity and equality to people who carry the burdens of poverty and oppression. But there is still more work that needs to be done. We can do better with what we have been given.