We all know what happens when we assume...

Through life, experience and growth we all develop the means to generalize and make assumptions.  After all if we had to sit and ponder every stimulus in our lives, we wouldn't have any time to do anything else. Therefore we use these mental shortcuts to help each of us live more efficiently.  However, sometimes the assumptions that we make are completely wrong, because we don't take the necessary time to see what is really going on around us.  We don't take the time to look past the clothes that people are wearing, the language that people are using, the culture, social class, or race that is evident to our eyes.  Instead, we go on what we have learned and continue with our days.  I challenge you to stop, and hear the music.  After just a few days of class my students made conclusions about their peers based on very important information (and yes I say that sarcastically).  Their hair, their clothes, body language, and the way they "twirled" around the room.  However, when I asked the class what was going through their minds when they got dressed in the morning, or what they were thinking when they purchased their clothes, there was little response given.  Joshua Bell, a famous violinist dressed in street clothes in a subway station with nothing more than a violin and an open violin case with some pocket change in it.  A famous violinist right there in the midst of hundreds of people and barely anyone stopped to listen.  Is it because we automatically assume that a "beggar" on the street isn't worth our time or money? Are we so consumed with our daily routine, that we cannot take a few seconds to stop and question or enjoy what is right in front of our eyes.  Perhaps when we assume things we need to make sure that we are using the right tools to do so.  Our senses are great and necessary in life, but they don't always tell us the whole story.