From afar, there have been many people I’ve had overly negative or harsh opinions about. This is antithetical to the kind of person I want to be and yet, my innate willingness to judge seeps in.

It’s when I get close to the person that I realize they are not as obnoxious, stupid or awful as my original perception. In fact, I grow to like and admire many of their qualities. The more this happens, the more I realize the world only works better if we actually get to know each other.

If there’s one thing I learned from the many young audiences I encountered as a magician, kids generally react the same way regardless of location or demographic. It was never any good to judge a show’s audience before you got there.

Or in the case of Matt Harding (who danced around the world), he is proof that people are generally joyful when you get close.

Unfortunately, it’s the harsh judgements that prevent it from happening.