Jigsaw Puzzles..

Justin Senigar, now 18 years old, once went to the clinic with the diagnosis of autism. The doctors diagnosed Justin and concluded that he would never be able to communicate or interact socially. However, by the time they actually got the chance to look at Justin's brain the doctors were astonished at what they saw in the EEG (Electroencephalography) scan. Justin was not autistic. He was actually having seizures.

"Despite the fact that every one of these disorders originates in the brain, most of these disorders are diagnosed solely on the basis of observable behavior. But diagnosing a brain disorder without actually looking at the brain is analogous to treating a patient with a heart problem, based on their physical symptoms, without even doing an ECG or a chest X-ray to look at the heart." - Aditi Shankardass

https://www.ted.com/talks/aditi_shankardass_a_second_opinion_on_learning_disorders#t-402308

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It is easier for many of us to overlook a situation and judge it based on what is seen on the outside. As many recognize the well-known saying, "you can't judge a book by its cover" this saying applies to much more than books, people, or situations.

I'd like to share a little bit of a relative's experience with certain misinterpretations in his mental status. Time and time again the doctors have concluded that the number of times that he spaces out and does his fidgeting he is doing it because he suffers from an autistic disorder. Another doctor mentioned that the cause of his fidgeting and his urge to bite everything was due to ADHD. A different doctor had told him that because of his dyslexia he wasn't able to get good grades in school. Finally, when a neurologist was able to actually look into his brain they found that he actually had a blood clot in his brain which was causing his pain and his difficulty speaking and seeing. His pain was the reason why he would bite everything and he wouldn't say anything about his pain.

Judging in these circumstances based on what one could see with their naked eye is not enough. More than anything, judging based on what is seen is not something that should be encouraged. It shouldn't matter if you're judging a book, or a person, or maybe even a sickness a judgement is a judgement with no question asked. Without a deeper understanding of a situation judgments could lead to outcomes that could possibly cost someone their whole life.

Like books, and like Senigar, people and things are often judged by their cover. I encourage you today to view judgement towards others as the real disorder.