A message for you (the adult reads it out loud)

Hi. I want to tell you a secret: my judging glasses go on too.

When I was studying, there was a classmate who dressed very differently from me and listened to other music. I thought: “I won't like him.” And we hadn't even talked! One day we played soccer together. Today he's one of my best friends.

People judged me too. I've always been a person of few words, and some thought I didn't want to be their friend. When they got to know me, they realized I did.

So I'm telling you: before deciding what someone is like, get to know them. Ask their name, what they like, how they are.

Judging glasses go on for all of us, kids and grown-ups. But now you know how to take them off. And there's nothing nicer than finding out someone was much better than you thought.

With love,
the one who wrote this route

Let me tell you something about me.

When I was studying, I had very clear tastes: my music, my clothes. There was a classmate who was the complete opposite. Without talking to him, I'd already decided what he was like. One day soccer brought us together. Today he's one of my best friends. I was completely wrong, and I'm really glad I was.

It has also happened the other way around. I've always been a person of few words, one of those serious people who don't talk much. Many thought I believed I was better than everyone. When they got to know me, they changed their minds. And that feels good too.

The very people I misjudged taught me. Each one showed me I didn't know what I thought I knew.

Not judging is hard: we do it automatically, by clothes, by how someone talks, by what they like. What you can learn is to notice, and to ask yourself questions: why do they act like that? What might have happened to them? What don't I know?

Don't expect everyone to think like you. Every person is a world of their own. And if you have nothing good to say, sometimes the best thing is to stay silent and let life surprise you.

Don't judge a book by its cover. The best part is almost always inside.

With love,
the one who wrote this route

Before you close this route, I want to tell you something about me.

At university I had very clear tastes: my music, my way of dressing. There was a classmate who was the complete opposite. Different music, different clothes, a different way of being. Without having exchanged a word with him, I'd already drawn my conclusions. One day soccer brought us together. We started talking. Today he's one of my best friends. I was completely wrong, and I've rarely been so glad to be wrong.

It has also happened the other way around. I've always been a person of few words, one of those serious people who don't talk much. For many, that was enough: they thought I believed I was better than everyone, that I was unfriendly. Several of my friends today tell me they didn't like me at first. When they got to know me, they changed their minds. And that feels good too.

Other times I've judged someone for what they did, and later I learned their story: what they had lived through, where they came from. And I understood things you can't see from outside.

I didn't have just one teacher. The very people I misjudged taught me: each one showed me I didn't know what I thought I knew. That you can't talk about someone with such certainty without knowing the whole context.

So, now that you're finishing, I'll tell you this:

Not judging is very hard. We do it automatically: by clothes, by the neighborhood someone lives in, by how they talk, by what they like. What you can learn is to notice when you're doing it, and to ask yourself questions: why do they act like that? What has their life been like? What don't I know?

Don't expect everyone to think like you. Every person is a world of their own. If something doesn't fit what you like, think before you give an opinion. And if you have nothing good to say, sometimes the best thing is to stay silent and let life surprise you.

Because few things feel as good as discovering you were wrong about someone. And someone discovering they were wrong about you.

Don't judge a book by its cover. The best part is almost always inside.

With love,
the one who wrote this route