by Karen Lahey
I’ve got an idea on how we can better understand one another and be happier. We would all be better off if we assume the best of intentions from our fellows. Much of the time, when we hear something that doesn’t make sense, we immediately assume that it has been decided with some mean or manipulative reason. We don’t wait to get the facts. However, if we don’t jump to conclusions, we can realize that maybe we don’t know everything about the situation. Perhaps there are good reasons for such decisions. Maybe we don’t really understand the situation. Maybe we could wait to get answers to our questions. We can take time to confirm our assumptions. And sometimes we may just need to trust since there is a valid reason why our question shouldn’t be answered. One way to slow down our jump to a conclusion is to take the time to think of ways that the decision or action might make sense. As Alan Alda said, “Begin challenging your assumptions. Your assumptions are the windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in awhile or the light won’t come in.” Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/assumptions.html#VxIMzleDfj65sXaH.99
Now I just need to remember to not jump to conclusions when someone else has jumped to a conclusion that I don’t agree with.