On judging a book by its cover and, what does yours say about you?

You’ve discussed the perils of judging a book by its cover. You probably have an anecdote pertaining to how, where and when you really learned this valuable lesson. If you stick around to the end, I’ll share a lovely one with you. First however, think about the motivation behind this saying. Who first penned these immortal words and why?

Although it has it’s roots firmly in twentieth century America, the idea behind the phrase is much older. Sticking to the 1940s usage of the phrase, it is fascinating that one of the authors credited with saying these words, Edwin Rolfe, was something of an unusual book. A slight, smiley man, he has enough action credited to his life to easily keep three of us in mischief

Fast forward to now and your life

What cover do you wear on a daily basis? If you’re a firm advocate of this phrase, it may be that you prefer to keep your contents firmly hidden until such time as someone proves themselves worthy of getting to know more. Or did you learn from experience that underneath every exterior is someone amazing, unique and fascinating?

Given that society generally agrees with Rolfe, why is it that I’m not wearing my dirty jumper to a business meeting today? By opting to wear a smart but casual ensemble, am I guilty of buying into this vanity driven culture? Part of this decision making process is shaped by a sense of respect. Having respect for the person or situation into which I am engaging would dictate that I do so with appropriate behaviour and appearance.

But therein lies the key to this whole discussion: behavior. However you choose to portray yourself visually today, the entire process will be a compete waste of time if the moment you open your mouth, filth comes out.

I am reminded of a trio of teens auditioning on the UK version of The X Factor. They looked like your average teens. (Given the discussion I should rephrase that. I don’t want to be guilty of plastering with folks stereotypes ) They wore jeans, trainers and hoodies and came on to the stage speaking an empowering message. They said they wanted to show that teenagers weren’t just louts with guns.

And then they started to sing and Simon Cowel did what he does when folks aren’t quite as awesome as they think they are Within seconds, the trio’s cover slipped. They started to swear and gesture because they didn’t agree with the judgement being made about their talent. Whatever good they had done in demonstrating that you really shouldn’t judge a book by its cover was undone within seconds.

An anecdote

A gentleman was working on a large house, one of a terrace of houses with a shared parking area to the rear. A painter, this man was one of several tradesmen at the property this day, each with his or her own van. Heading to his van to get some tools, he was approached by a smartly dressed lady and her husband. She began to complain that the man was causing her inconvenience because she couldn’t get her car out of the parking area. Asked what time she needed to leave, she said 4pm. The time was a still just 10am! She became more and more animated and her language deteriorated. Her husband just stood and watched her, smiling wryly to himself.

Some time later the painter discovered that he had a flat tyre. One of the other tradesmen, a tough city boy who wouldn’t have looked out of place on the doors of a seedy nightclub, took it upon himself to remove the offending tyre, drive the painter to the nearest garage to get a replacement and refit the tyre when a replacement was found.

The cover became irrelevant for the painter that day. Actions spoke louder than words and he learned first hand how unique and special every single person is. So how about you? Have you got a story of how you learned the value of treating each person as an individual? What cover are you choosing to wear today and why?