The Unseen Me
The Faces We Wear and the Truth We Hide
Humans have a strange tendency to expect the worst in others, shaping their behavior based on stories they’ve woven in their own minds. And in my case, it’s no different. Often, people who barely know me build assumptions and then treat me according to the version of me they’ve decided is real. It’s as if they’re seeing me through a lens that twists who I am, casting me as some arrogant "know-it-all" who thinks she’s got everything figured out. But that’s just the mask they’ve decided I wear. And that’s all they see because they haven’t looked beyond it.
Whenever I’m at school or out in the world, I can feel it—the judgment from those who think they’ve got me all figured out. They assume I’m closed off or overconfident, treating me as if there’s no depth beyond what they’ve decided to see. It’s frustrating, like being trapped behind a mask someone else painted, leaving the truth hidden just beneath.
What’s strange is how often we, as humans, judge people this way—assigning roles and traits without even scratching the surface. We meet someone for a fleeting moment or catch a fragment of their expression and think, "I’ve got them figured out." But do we? Over and over again, I’ve seen how misplaced these assumptions can be. And the irony is, every person who’s ever thought that way about me, once they actually got to know me, realized how wrong they were. They often come back and say, “Wow, I was wrong about you.” They find out I’m not who they thought I was—certainly not the one who thinks she knows it all. I’ve never even seen myself that way.
I’ll admit, I’m working on this, trying to understand why I’m often perceived in such a way. I want to soften that edge or maybe just tweak how I come across. But deep down, I wonder if the fault lies entirely with me. Maybe there’s a flaw in the way we’re conditioned to judge so quickly. We’re all guilty of it—myself included. Why do we let a brief interaction become the whole story of someone’s character?
If only we took a moment to break through those assumptions. I’m convinced we’d find people much richer, kinder, and more complex than we imagine. And I hope those who still hold an unfavorable view of me will take the chance to really know me. I promise, if you do, you’ll see that I’m not the arrogant, “know-it-all” brat you might think I am. Instead, you’ll find someone who’s eager to learn, far from perfect, but always willing to grow.
Because we’re all more than what meets the eye. Each one of us is a work in progress, evolving and shifting as we go. Judgments, however, don’t evolve. They stay stuck and flat, a single line where there’s an entire canvas to explore. So if you’re reading this and you know me only from the surface, give it a chance—look a little closer
