Judging favorably means finding excuses for questionable behavior, excuses which make sense to us and leave us with a positive feeling towards the person in question. When we find our- selves suspecting others, we must ask ourselves: Are there any redeeming factors? Did I miss something? Did I jump to the wrong conclusion? For instance, take the case of the...

Verbal Eyes

"If people come to my lecture on a cold, rainy winter's night, why don't they at least listen?"

That's what I was thinking as I gave my emergency first-aid lecture. About ten minutes into my lecture, two women walk in, sit down in the back row and start talking! It was extremely distracting to know that they had so little interest in my speech that they weren't prepared to stop gabbing for one minute!

About an hour later, I finished. And so, finally, did they. Gathering my notes and preparing to leave, I noticed the pair approaching me. At least they have the decency to come and apologize, I thought. But their apology was far from the one I expected.

"Thank you so much, Mrs. Frankel. We really enjoyed your talk," one said.

What? I thought. She's got to be kidding!

"I'd like to introduce myself and my sister," she continued. "Sorry we came late. We usually try to sit in the front row. But because of the rain, we had to drive slowly. You probably didn't notice, but as you were speaking, I was repeating what you were saying. My sister is hearing impaired, but she reads lips very well...."

The Other Side of the Story Archives

Based on "The Other Side of the Story" by Mrs. Yehudis Samet, ArtScroll Series

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