People Usually Are The Way They Are Due To Circumstances

Author: Rhonda Gutierrez
Image: Paula Anderanin

The more people I talk to about life, the more I am compelled to ask, “What happened to you that made you this way?” The fact is people usually are the way they are due to circumstances.  Circumstances of life change us and mold us.  For example, if a person was abandoned as a child, he or she may feel angry, shy, distrustful and insecure.  If a person was beaten and abused he may feel scared, lonely and hateful.  We look at others—unknowingly judging them and their behaviors.

Each person I meet is a mystery to me.  People are like puzzles that are completely strewn across a table waiting to piece together.  Some people are missing pieces and are never complete, while others a easily found and completed.

Everyone has a story.  One thing I know for sure is that everyone has a reason for being. We can always learn lessons from one another.  People can teach us who we would like to be and what we don’t want to become.  Each encounter is a lesson.

When you feel the need to judge someone for their lifestyle or personality flaws, take a moment to consider that maybe they had a horrible childhood or have lost a loved one. Maybe they are dying or facing mental illness.  Maybe they are just sad.  Maybe they have no one.

We never know what another person is going through.  Listen before judging and always take the time to be considerate.  You just might be the light at the end of the tunnel for someone special.  Be a friend.  Listen and consider.

“A man of character finds a special attractiveness in difficulty, since it is only by coming to grips with difficulty that he can realize his potentialities.” Charles de Gaulle