This sounds so typical high school. I am aware. But if you really think about it, it's more efficient to make judgements off of a summary than just a glance. Yeah some people argue that spark notes are just a glance, but really they are a little more. No one ever takes them time to actually read books now a days, just like nobody actually takes the time to get to know anyone anymore. We make rash judgements about books just like we do about people. We look at a book: how thick it is, how wide it is, how tall it is, how big the font is, what font it's written in, how many chapters it has, how long each chapter is- and that's how we decide if it's worth reading. No one researches the book to see what kind of reviews it got from people who read it, no one researches the genre and author's style to see if it would be of any interest to us- we just look at its structure rather than its contents. That's exactly how we judge people.
When we see someone at school, or the mall, or work, or really anywhere, the first thing we do is look at their physical appearance. Are they thin or fat? Are they tall or short? Are they attractive or unfortunate? Are they blonde or brunette? Do they have good style or do they look like they got dressed in the dark? Do they have tattoos and piercings or are they completely clean? And based off of these judgements we decide who they are as a person. When you see someone with black hair, piercings, tattoos, and all black clothing- you're 1st thought is "They are emo. They hate life. They cut themselves." In our mind we are basically saying, "They aren't like me, they aren't worth my time." Another example: you see a girl in denim "shorts," tight shirt, big boobs, beautiful face, long legs, and blonde. First thing girls think: "She's such a slut. She probably gets with every guy. She has no self worth." In reality, we are just extremely jealous of her beauty and wish we actually looked like her. First thing guys think: "Holy Shit! She's so hot. Thank God for creating such a beautiful human being." What they really mean: "She's probably pretty easy because if she's that beautiful then she can get with any guy she wants and I know if I had the option to get with anyone I want, I would." We automatically make rash judgements about people by looking at them- by their cover.
We all know that no one is actually going to read the whole book before making a judgement on it- although that's how it should be, it's human nature to form our own opinions about things quickly and often. So instead of actually reading the book, the next best way is to read the summary- the sparknotes. For those of you who live under a rock, sparknotes are summaries, analyses, and important facts about books that people read so that they do not have to actually read the book. Sparknotes have gotten me through high school so far, and they haven't disappointed me yet. They are effective. They map out the most important things about a book- the things that characterize the book and make it what it is. Sparknotes get rid of all the false misconceptions and all the fluff behind the bare backbone of the book. Sparknotes tell you all that is worth knowing. Too bad people don't have sparknotes. They really should. I wish I could go onto the sparknotes website and type in someone's name and get a summary of who they are and what they are like, get all the important facts I should know, and be able to read an analysis on their character. We should really be judging people on those things- not what they look like.
We tend to decide who a person is by their cover, but that's ineffective. What if the illustrator sucked? What if the budget for the book didn't leave enough money to make an elaborate cover? It's just ineffective. I'm sure if people judged me by what I looked like, they'd be completely wrong. I'm sure if people saw me they'd think, "She's wanna be who tries too hard. She follows the trends in fashion because she is compensating for something. She does her hair and wears make up because she is insecure about herself, her natural beauty isn't good enough." I can tell you right now that's all false. I follow trends in fashion because fashion is exciting. It's a way to express yourself and your style. I do my hair and wear make up because I never know where I'll be going, who I'll meet, or what I'll encounter and I don't want to look like a hot mess when it all happens. And in that physical analysis, there was not one mention of my intelligence, my integrity, or my personality. I value my intelligence highly and I've worked hard for it. I am an honest, trustworthy, and responsible person- I value my reputation and my morals. I am a sarcastic smart ass who enjoys witty conversation and laughing at the stupid things that people do in life. And I promise that by looking at me, you'd never even think so.
When someone enters your life, it's for a reason. Nothing is an accident. If they enter your life, God- or whoever you believe is in control of the universe- meant for them to come into your life. Take the chance to get to know them for who they are, not what they look like or seem like. Reading the book is the best option, but even getting the spark notes is better than not reading anything at all.
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