The Art of Seeing the Best in People

Judging a person’s character is like reading a book with missing pages—you think you’ve got the plot, but there’s always room for a twist. Am I an expert in this? Hardly. But I can say this: my intuitions are often right. Mostly. Probably. Okay, let’s go with “most of the time.”

I tend to look at the positive side of people. Call it optimism or naïveté, but I believe everyone deserves a second chance. After all, “Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future,” as Oscar Wilde once said. It’s easier to find flaws in others, but it takes real effort to see their hidden goodness.

Sure, this approach comes with risks—like lending your favorite book to someone who “forgets” to return it. But isn’t it better to be wrong about someone than to miss out on the chance to witness their redemption arc? Besides, life is too short to hold grudges. “To err is human; to forgive, divine,” and if nothing else, forgiving people gives me more room in my brain for dessert recipes.

However, not every intuition leads to a fairy-tale ending. Sometimes, you discover that second chances are like sequels to bad movies—they rarely improve. Still, the effort is worth it because it reflects your character more than theirs.

Here’s a thought to ponder: If we spend less time judging and more time understanding, would we be judged less harshly ourselves?