I tell you as well as myself: what we see with our own eyes is nothing other than a cloud concealing what we should perceive with our inner sight, while what we listen to with our ears is merely a ringing sound disturbing what we should understand with our hearts. When we see a man being taken to prion by a police officer let us not hasten to assume he is a wrong-doer. When we see a corpse, and a man standing beside it with bloodstained hands, let us not conclude that this is a victim and his assassin. When we hear one man singing and another lamenting, let us ascertain which one of the two is truly happy. . Kahlil Gibran
About This Quote

The idea that what we see is not always the deepest reality may appear to be a contradiction at first glance. This quote is telling us specifically that we should not judge others on only their outward appearance, but we should also give them time and space to work through problems and challenges without making assumptions about their character. When we see a person being taken away in handcuffs, we should not jump to conclusions that they are guilty of a crime, without knowing more about the situation. Similarly, when we see a corpse and a man standing beside it with bloodstained hands, we may automatically assume this man is responsible for the murder.

We may also jump to conclusions if we hear one person singing while another person is lamenting. We may think that one of these two people is really happy and not sad at all while the other one is crying out in sadness.

Source: The Prophet

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