In completing his ninth labor, Heracles killed the Amazons’ leader, Hippolyte (she loved Heracles actually), whom Heracles thought as betraying him by rallying her forces to attack his ship. In this case, Heracles needs an explanation for why they Amazons are assaulting his ship. Because Hippolyte is their leader, he rashly concludes that she is the one who planned the attack. Had Heracles taken a moment to really think about the situation, he would have realized that she would not act so foolishly. Why would she put herself at risk just to betray him? Actually, she had accompanied him on board the boat. If he had asked her what was happening, or perhaps even asked her to take charge of the matter, he could have averted great tragedy.

In situations where all factors are not readily apparent, it it vital that we don’t jump to conclusions. For instance, if you walk through the hallway on your way to your classroom and a classmate does not reply when you say hello, you might conclude that your classmate is ignoring you because she dislikes you. But it is important to step back and think things through. Perhaps the classmate who did not reply to your greeting was consumed with personal problems and did not tune into what you said. Instead of reeling from the personal rejection of your classmate, you would act in a consistently friendly way, giving the friendship a chance to grow. Even though your initial explanation turns out to be right, at least you did not cut off possible friendships.

Can you identify a situation in your life where you might be jumping to conclusions about a person’s motives or attitudes? What differences would it make to you if their motives or attitudes were other than what you assume they are? How might you discover their true motives or attitudes?