BY: COLIN GOMEZ

There is a popular saying in the English language that “a person should not judge a book by its cover,” which is to mean in real life that there must be no judgement of a person by using the externals by which a person is judged.

Never judge a person by the externals. There is an important need to seek truth from facts before anyone can draw a conclusion on a person and all the material facts must be gathered to support what is true of a person.

By judging a person by the externals, it may not be true and harm and injustice can be done to a person’s standing and reputation so everyone is advised to tread cautiously before doing a character assassination of a person.

Perhaps the best yardstick to use is to never judge anyone but owing to unforeseen circumstances sometimes it is necessary to evaluate or draw a conclusion about a person. In this case it is important to be thorough, meticulous and fair and impartial in our assessment of a person.

But by going by the exterior facade of a person, there can sometimes be ill or wrong judgement and this is why it is always best to leave the nature or character of people alone unless it is necessary for us to judge him or her.

Worse still don’t make broad assumptions, sweeping statements of anyone or any group or community as it is not only unfair but unjust to engage in stereotyping which is how racism breeds and spreads.

-THE MALAYSIA VOICE

** The views expressed on this opinion is of the writer and not the publisher