It is an automatic part of human nature to judge another person by their appearance when you first meet them, but I believe it is crucial to not do this. I believe it’s vital to never judge someone by their outward appearance; a person’s appearance is
usually the smallest indicator to who that person really is. I believe you must judge a
person by how they act, not how they look. This is what I live by; this I believe.
When given the “This I Believe” prompt by my teacher it was easy enough to
come up with a belief. But I was completely stuck on thinking of an anecdote until my
friend pointed out the fact that my family is different. Life with them is so normal that I
couldn’t even think of them as the source of my paper until I was reminded by an
outsider. I often forget about it, until I see someone staring, or a little kid pointing. My
parents and brother are dwarves, also known as “little people,” whereas my sister and I
are of average height. I used to be embarrassed by their stature when we went out, but now I am only embarrassed by the way my mom and dad act, like still demanding to take my picture on the first day of school even though I am a junior, or screaming loudly
at my cross country meets and soccer games.
Growing up with short parents and a brother has taught me this: size, skin color,
background, etc. usually has very little to do with who that person actually is on the
inside. Many of my closest friends look vastly different from me or have extremely
different backgrounds, but because I have learned not to judge them outwardly, rather
taken the time to get to know them inwardly, I have found that we have much in
common on the inside. Also, I have found that “different” isn’t always bad, and in some
cases is even better. Firstly, it has taught me this lesson, but there have been other
advantages, such as the fact that it has taken me all across the country for the Little
People of America conventions, allowing me to visit many places where I might not
normally have gone. Furthermore, they have encouraged me to push past labels or
limits others might have set for me (like they have done), and drive myself to the fullest
of my capabilities. I must not act how others think I should, but be me and accomplish
what I can.
Being raised in a “different” family is an integral part of me and my future, and I
pity those who haven’t breached the barrier of accepting differences. I would never
trade my parents or my brother for “normal” ones, in view of the fact that they are such
awesome people because of their abnormality, and by seeing that they have taught me
so much.