A man and his wife were traveling with their donkey.
On the first day, both rode on his back. In town, they heard people whispering: “What a mean couple, putting all that weight on the donkey.”
On the second day, the man rode and the wife walked beside him. People whispered: “What a cruel man, forcing his wife to walk while he rides on the donkey.”
On the third day, the man walked, and the wife rode the donkey. People said: “What a careless man, letting his wife ride alone on the donkey.”
On the fourth day, both walked beside the donkey. Again, people whispered: “What a stupid couple! Why walk if they could ride on the donkey?”
Moral: No matter what you do, people will judge you. We just can’t help but offer our opinions. Even if we don’t voice them, we’ll always think these things. If you find yourself thinking the lady on the bus is rude, she’s probably just scared, stressed, or confused. Maybe all three. We love to generalize behavior and see people that way, when, really, most of what we do is a result of how we are feeling at that moment.