Every day, we engage with several people.
And every interaction invites interpretation.
We are quick to assume.
Quick to label.
Quick to judge.
A message comes late.
“They’re ignoring me.”
Plans get canceled.
“They’re losing interest.”
A colleague sounds distant.
“They’re being rude.”
Conclusions arrive faster than context.
But what if not?
Maybe that reply was written and forgotten in exhaustion.
Maybe that friend is barely holding it together.
Maybe that colleague is carrying something you cannot see.
Choosing empathy does not mean being naive.
It means choosing understanding over ego.
It means refusing to reduce people
to one moment,
one mistake,
one bad day.
Strong relationships are built on generosity of interpretation.
On giving others room to be human.
The world runs better
when we slow down our conclusions.
So the next time you feel tempted to react,
pause.
Ask yourself:
What else could be true?
What might I be missing?
Because behind every delay, misstep, or awkward moment,
there is often a story.
And almost always,
a person doing their best.