Innocent until proven guilty?

This morning I had the pleasure *insert eye roll and deep sigh* to fulfill my request (really I had no choice, lol) to attend my summons for jury duty. As I got on the highway, my mind was filled with thoughts of how I could get back into bed and indulge in 30 more minutes of euphoric rest. Seeing as how this wouldn't happen, I shifted my thoughts into getting through the day and focusing on more positive things. I turned on the radio, listened to one of my favorite morning shows, laughed out loud several times, and begin to round out my professional court room look. As I took the time and pride to ensure that my presentation would be an appeasing one, I thought of how important it is to have the "right look".


Whether we want to admit it or not, people are being judged and judge everyday. You are, sometimes, solely judged on the way you present yourself, even if you haven't opened your mouth yet. In a world where we're so focused on the outside, I wondered how much that affected our inside.
At the beginning of jury duty, they gave us an orientation. Amongst the basic information, a worker explained that the judge, as well as lawyers, would be asking questions to ensure that the jurors’ selected would be in no way biased. My thoughts fell into wondering how one ever knows if they're bias. Do we ever really give someone a fair shot and only look at the facts stated? We think we do it everyday. We walk around carelessly, exuding openness, but the moment someone "looks dangerous", all of that free thinking goes out of the window and we clutch our purses and keep our fingers on the lock button in our car doors. If a woman walks in scantily clad, people automatically treat her as if she's less than, because she doesn't "look respectable" or worthy of such a thing. If a man steps out of a vehicle that is completely run down, he doesn't garner the same respect as the man who steps out of the Mercedes. To most people, he's just the "average Joe" so why give him any more than a passing glance.


In no way do I think any of this is fair, but I do believe that this is the way that people are programmed to be. Until we start changing our thinking (and this is a day by day process for life, I might add), we will never be at the point where we can accept people without setting them up for failure with our version of what they are supposed to look like and be. I will say this however, and for me, it's what's most important: because we do live in a society that is based on looks and the way you present yourself, you must understand that and act accordingly. The way that you present yourself is the way that you will inevitably be perceived. It's one thing to have less than, because that has nothing to do with who you are and can't change overnight, but it's another thing to NOT take pride in the way that you look. If you want to be taken seriously at a business meeting, don't walk in with sneakers and baseball cap. If you want to be the face of ladies motivation everywhere, respect yourself enough to look, act, and be a lady. You always have a choice, but always accept personal responsibility in the fact that you made the choice and everything that comes with it belongs to you....whether you want it or not.


Allow yourself to be the juror of your life and treat people the way you want to be treated: with respect, honor, and complete innocence…until proven guilty.

Until next time...keep the forward movement...