Foolsumptions

My "so what: for this week doesn't have anything to do with my Writing in Business class.  If anybody ends up reading this besides my professor they will probably be grateful for that because if every post had to do with me improving my grammar or writing ability this blog would probably not me a very interesting read (sorry professor Middleton).  So, my "so what for this week has to do with the assumptions we make.  We have probably all heard what happens when we assume.  You know, when you break of the syllables it makes a cleaver phrase.  In order to avoid any appearance of vulgarity in this blog I will do it with the word "foolsume" instead.  When you foolsume you make a fool out of u and me.   I have been hearing about the truth of this statement a lot lately.  I am in a Doctrine and Covenants class right now taught by Brother Steven Harper and Brigham Young University.  If any of you don't know what The Doctrine & Covenants are you can go here and see for you self.  Anyway, we are learning the history behind the revelations and the biggest thing that Brother Harper tells us is that we need to eliminate our assumptions.  Our assumptions block us from learning truths and can sometimes shake our foundations if those assumptions are part of them.

Then, last Sunday I attended the CES devotional given by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf.  He talked about truth, and how we learn the truth.  He talked about how it is possible for our assumptions to impede us from learning the truth.  I realized that this may be the case for me.  Let me give you an example.

I was at Winco this weekend with my wife.  We were enjoying the wonderfully cheap produce and the wide variety of by-the-pound products.  When we were in line to check out the man behind us began to talk to us about how wonderful Winco is.  This man was large.  Buzzed head, old leather jacket, possibly wearing sweats, and looked a little bit rough around the edges.  For a split second I was inclined to send him a signal through body language telling him that it was socially unacceptable for him to be talking to me.  I am glad I did not.  I decided to be courteous and it turned out to be a wonderful experience.  The guy was kind, happy, and funny.  The conversation we had with him made my day better.

Our interactions with the people around us are full of "foolsumptions."  We just people about the way they dress, the way they talk, and they way they aren't like what we would hope they were.  These foolsumptions cripple us and them.  We decide that we know what they are like without giving them the chance to show us what they are really like.

So what?  Now what?  I am going to think each day about an assumption that I make about people and make an effort that day to not make it.  This may end up being more of a thought exercise than an action exercise but I feel like it may end up effecting my actions as well.  My hope is that if I make a daily effort to remove my prejudices I will be able to see people more as our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ see them.  I will be able to see the truth about who they really are and what they have the potential to become.  I will be able to love them more.