prejudice: influence (somebody's) opinion in advance.
During my youth service, we had a platoon captain who acted in a certain way. All his actions pointed to being a member of a certain group that the society frowns at. With no further examination, I quickly judged him to be one. A few times I discussed it with certain people and I soon realized he wasn't it and was someone who disliked those groups. I was ashamed, I regretted the fact that my biased judgement wasn't just kept to myself but also shared with others , and that I tried to influence people into believing he was someone without clear proof.
This experience helped me keep certain opinions to myself , and try to examine certain truths before judging someone. Unfortunately, humans have an Iota of prejudice within them, we assume the little details we've seen define such individuals. Sometimes it goes as bad as generalizing our beliefs on certain groups for someone's behavior. Prejudice sometimes serves as a guard to falling victim but oftentimes it has hindered us from meeting beautiful people who would have been part of our memory. Not everyone is who we think they are, but until that is proven, prejudice becomes harmful.
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Our weaknesses and strengths are different, so why influence someone's opinion in advance? The only error we find in our existence is a group of people who have tagged themselves "A saint" and anyone who isn't in that group "The demon". Prejudice says, "That goat is a dog, because one of its teeth has the shape of a dog", it starts like a harmless opinion but soon develops into a full tree with roots that sinks deep down. I've watched movies where people changed as a result of certain circumstances, and the only people who truly helped them were those who understood who they are beyond what is visible. While people judge and influence certain opinions in advance, a few groups of people look beyond the act and try to know the "why".
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