Many years ago while doing my Masters in Literature, we had a professor named after an eighteenth century English poet. Now, this professor loved to dissect poetry, and I didn’t. I loved poetry for its fullness, whereas he, like a surgeon operating on a patient, looked for its soul in the dismembered parts.  One day while taking away the joy of a poem by Keats, ‘Ode to a Grecian Urn’ I told him I didn’t agree with him.

“You won’t come to anything in life!” he said with a sneer.

“And why do you say that sir?” I asked.

“Because you don’t understand what I’m doing!”

Many times we do the same. We write somebody off who doesn’t follow our way of thinking or who doesn’t follow the parameters laid down by society.

But before you do write people off, read this:

If you knew a woman who was pregnant, who had 8 kids already, three were deaf, two were blind, one mentally handicapped, and she had syphilis, would you recommend that she have an abortion? Read Question No: 2 before responding to this question.

Question 2: It is time to elect a new world leader, and only your vote counts. Here are the facts about the three candidates.

Candidate A. Associates with crooked politicians, and consults with astrologers. Had two mistresses.  Also chain smokes and drinks 8 to 10 martinis a day.

Candidate B. He was kicked out of office twice, sleeps until noon, used opium in college and drinks a quart of whiskey every evening.

Candidate C. He is a decorated war hero. He’s a vegetarian, doesn’t smoke, drinks an occasional beer and never cheated on his wife.

Which of these candidates would be your choice? Decide first… no peeking, then go down for the response.

Candidate A is Franklin D. Roosevelt. Candidate B is Winston Churchill. Candidate C is Adolph Hitler.

And, by the way, on your answer to the abortion question: If you said YES, you just killed Beethoven!

Never ever, write off people: I have learnt some bitter lessons in life when I’ve written off competition and found the same competition beating my company because I didn’t think much of somebody’s business skills. Obviously his customers did not think like me.

Search for the good in people, and you’ll never write people off..!