It is a noble thing to say that you do not judge people by their appearance. However, if you are a person of integrity, you will admit that you judge people by their appearance, perhaps unintentionally. In the United States, we value youth and beauty. It is a subtle form of subliminal brain-washing perpetrated by all aspects of the media. We have also become more health conscious and often, inadvertently, look at overweight people with disdain, and judge them as lazy for not exercising. We are attracted to the beautiful people, the ones that have great physiques or figures, beautiful hair and skin, and fashionable clothes. If you cannot look beyond appearance, you are missing knowing some of the most worthy, intelligent, moral people in the world.

Would you befriend someone who smiled at you and showed his rotting black teeth? Would you befriend someone with numerous visible tattoos? Would you befriend someone who is overweight? Would you befriend someone with a facial anomaly? Would you befriend a dirty street person? What if someone told you he once lived in your neighborhood, lost his job, lost his home and all other possessions, has no one to help him so he has to live in shelters or on the street. Would that make any difference, or would you blame him for his unfortunate luck?

Beauty fades with age. It happens to us all unless we die young. This is when you will learn what it feels like to be judged by appearance. And as you get older, you will realize you have become a disposable, unworthy member of society. Unless you have family and old friends who are still living, you will find yourself ignored. You are being judged for your appearance of being elderly.

As a medical professional and an educator, I, more than most, understand the problems associated with obesity. No one chooses to be obese in this country. Genetics has a large part in determining someone’s weight, metabolic disorders can affect weight, transplant patients have to remain on steroids the rest of their lives to prevent organ rejection, and prolonged steroid use causes weight gain, and there are other reasons, medical, physiological, or psychological, that cause some people to remain obese.

A male “studmuffy” “mooing” at overweight girls cause irreparable damage to self- esteem. That girl will never forget how some idiotic male mooed at her and only serves to further lower her self-esteem. Of course, beautiful females will also often belittle men they do not find attractive. Some of these beautiful people are some of the most shallow, selfish people you will ever meet. Of course, there are beautiful people that are wonderful people.

No one should be judged by their appearance, or for any other reason. “Do not judge, or you too shall be judged” (Matthew7:1), and “Don’t judge a book by its cover”. Don’t judge someone by appearance and you will be rewarded with meeting some of the most remarkable people you could ever know.