When the dowdy, middle-aged woman walked onto the stage of the British equivalent of American Idol, I instantly felt sorry for her.  There she was, another no-talent contestant put on the show so that sick Simon Cowel can humiliate her in front of millions of people. This was a lamb about to be slaughtered.

Susan Boyle wore a formless, beige dress and sensible shoes. The color of her hose was all wrong and her eye brows too thick. She had several double chins. The song she selected, “I Dreamed a Dream” from Les Miserables was too ambitious for a rooky like her. Simon laughed at her. The audience rolled their eyes and licked their lips. They could almost taste the blood.

Susan was no lamb. Far from it. When she opened her mouth to sing, out came a gorgeous, angelic voice filled with certainty.  She delivered the song proudly and perfectly. She was amazing!  The people in the audience who seconds before were mocking her, instantly broke into wild applause. Simon was so shocked that his jaw dropped and he actually smiled. I felt such a rush of emotion that I cried.

Over the last few days I have played Susan’s audition on YouTube many times. I tear up every time. I am
not sure why watching that woman sing elicits such strong emotions in me. Maybe it’s her amazing voice. Maybe it’s the lyrics. Maybe I get emotional for another, more subtle reason. Could it be that I feel sad and somewhat ashamed that I joined the pack and passed judgment on her before she even opened her mouth?

You and I know better than to judge another person by way he or she looks, or anything else so arbitrary. Yet we do it all the time. While passing judgment on people who are different than we are may seem innocent enough, it is far from it. When we go about deciding whether he or she is too old, or too fat, or has made an unfortunate choice of shoes, we miss out on the Truth.

The Truth is we are much more alike than we want to admit. Underneath the facade we present to the world, we all share the same fears and insecurities. But even more important to realize, is that we all have a deep desire to be loved and appreciated for who we are.

This week do your best to resist passing judgment on others. Focus instead on how similar you really are. If you need a reminder go see Susan Boyle on YouTube.

Share the wisdom and enjoy the journey.