All of us carry around with us Mental-maps about ourselves and the rest of the world. We think, feel, act and react towards people based on these mental maps. The most disastrous application of this little map tucked deep with us is Motive guessing. You waved at an acquaintance standing on the other side of the street. He didn’t reciprocate…. And here comes the list of possible explanations (motive guessing) that you can have.
He didn’t see me.
He was busy thinking about something.
Ever since he got promoted, he has been arrogant.
Have I done something wrong to anger him?
Which of these is true.. god alone will know, unless we confront him and ask him and get his sincere answer. Since we don’t bother to do that, our mental map will treat this as an MCQ and find an answer for you. And how did we get this mental map? Well, most of the stuff got uploaded when we were under the age of 5. Small and helpless, taking in everything that our elders spelled out…. As they were big, so able, amazing and convincing.
As adults, we could take out these maps and question the lines and shapes any time. However, as we rarely do this, it’s akin to trying to get around a place using a decade old map. No wonder we don’t reach anywhere when it comes to interpersonal skills. So you see the world not as it is, but as you are… and, even if we put on the sweetest of faces and gestures, the world can see through us and read our prejudices. “what you are is shouting at me, I can’t hear what you are saying”- amazing truth. So we go around with friends, half friends and full foes, just because our age old outdated mental maps keep us chained to our prejudices.
Are you prejudiced? Well, there is a way to know. Click on the below link and get an exact report on your prejudices against women, different religions, etc. The results will surprise you, and you will agree with me for shouting “Shame on You”
https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/demo/selectatest.html
Happy awareness building !!!. Hope you will de toxify yourself afterwards. Because the world out there is beautiful, if you would just take off your prejudice blinkers.
#MissionInspire1Million 