Pensive: Stop Making Assumptions

By Sarah Mahmood

You know what...
that guy in my class comments on my Facebook statuses only because of such-and-such perverted reasons
that teacher always tells us off because he has a grudge against our supervisor
they stop talking as soon as I get near them, I wonder what they could be hiding
she does that only to annoy me, she is obviously jealous

Yes, we all love making assumptions about others and their behavioral 'tactics'. Anything they say (no matter how innocently) and we reach a conclusion about the why's and how's of it faster than the speed of light.

Okay so what's wrong with this? Well, do you notice how often it is that many of us end up fighting only because of the misunderstandings that are somehow born out of simple conversations. Additionally, this habit of assuming everything about the other person leads to an unjust idea of what they might have been thinking while saying or doing something. Things are not that simple. I myself have encountered a number of situations where the other person has mistaken my words for an altogether different notion. And this is just one side of it. Imagine a person making presumptions about you behind your back with you not even present there to give any counter-arguments. Feels bad, right? So, make sure you don't become one of those 'broad-minded' ones, those who are somehow able to see through every word and action the other person is capable of uttering and doing!