Rebecca Peretz Sophomore English Honors: Berger-White 09/06/2024 Reducing Misconceptions Through Empathy and Self-Reflection Misreading situations can often lead to misunderstandings, unnecessary reactions, stereotypes, and biases. When individuals rely on assumptions, they fail to understand the full picture, resulting in misconceptions and negative outcomes. By practicing empathy and self-reflection, people are able to embrace multiple perspectives and break free from their default ways of thinking. These actions provide a more accurate understanding of situations and people, which prevents misreading, and, in turn, reduces bias and embraces differing perspectives. People often unknowingly allow their assumptions and automatic ways of thinking …show more content…
One man Yonatan encounters is Sergei Goralick, a misanthrope who hates people knocking on his door and does not speak Hebrew very well. When Yonatan is persistent with his question, Sergei gets extremely angry, tries to shut him out, and does not seem even to understand what Yonatan is asking. However, Yonatan is persistent and forces his way in, where he goes over to Sergei's fish tank excitedly. “In this instant, Sergei understands that the boy hasn’t come for television, what he’s come for, specifically is to snatch Sergei's fish, to steal it away. Before the mind of Sergei Goralick understands what his body has done, he seems to have taken the pan off the stove and hit the boy on the head. The boy falls” (2) Sergei’s reaction is the result and the impact on Yonatan demonstrates what assumptions can do to others. Rather than viewing Yonatan as a curious teenager with a simple question, his long-ingrained misanthropy leads Sergei to view Yonatan as a …show more content…
“And ran saying there is nothing lowly in the universe: I found a beggar; he had stumps for legs; nobody was paying him any attention; everybody went on by; I nestled in and found his life; there, love shook his body like devastation.” This quote illustrates his realization that the “lowly” beggar that he encounters has a life filled with strong emotions and significant resilience. Ammons’ poem reflects the idea that assumptions may hinder a person's ability to see the full picture unless they attempt to challenge these preconceived notions. Empathy and self-reflection are two of the keys to an accurate perspective of the world, and what individuals may be going through. People often allow limited perspectives to form opinions and create bias, which impacts everyday interactions. In “The Lunch Date,” a short film by Adam Davidson, a distracted elderly white woman collides with a young, well-dressed black man while rushing to catch her train. The collision caused her to drop her belongings all over the station floor. The young black man immediately stoops down and begins to pick up her belongings while profusely