A report by Dr. William Martin to the American Medical Association in 1913 didn’t pull any punches. In his assessment of public-school children in New York, he found forty pupils he described ‘as the worst in the school’ and eighteen of which being ‘so stupid they were in ungraded classes.’ He also noted that ‘eleven were so stupid that it required three terms to do the work of one term’. Not the most polite or hopeful message.
So, what was so wrong with the ‘delinquent’ children? It turns out the all needed glasses.
We can be quick to judge a person thinking we know what is wrong with them. We quickly relegate their foibles as character flaws and dismiss them with derision. But it may be what we think of as malice may just be a misunderstanding.
That is why we must be careful of rash judgment of others, especially in the public forum. Instead of jumping on the attack we need to make sure we are understanding and trying to be understood. Others may not see things as clearly as we do and instead of labeling them, we might take a moment to try to help them rather than demean them.
James said it this way, “ But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger” (James1:19). Find out before you flip out. Learn more before you lean on. Listen before you lecture.
What we think might be a hopeless case, might just be a bit of blurry vision.
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