Lesson on judging others

My brother Chigozie is known for his hot temper, both of us don't see eye to eye because of his temper. He believed that he could always tell when someone was lying or doing something wrong.

So one day Chigozie was going to meet some of his friends at the junction and on his way he saw a young girl in front of a provision shop,her name was Julie. Julie was a new face in town, she had just moved into the street with her mom and siblings, and people didn’t know much about her. Chigozie saw Julie looking around all paranoid, so he knew that she was up to something.

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“This girl must be a thief, Chigozie thought to himself. “She's just waiting for the right moment to steal something.

Chigozie without hesitation marched up to Julie with a death glare in his eyes. “What are you doing here? Chigozie asked, his voice full of suspicion. “Are you planning to steal from this shop?”

Julie looked surprised and confused. “No, sir,” she replied quickly. “I’m not a thief. I'm just waiting for the proprietor of the store. I want to buy some bread for my mother.”

But Chigozie didn’t believe her. “Don’t lie to me,” Chigozie said angrily. “I’ve seen people like you before. You’re just pretending to be innocent.”

Julie felt hurt and embarrassed. She had never had anything like this leveled against her. “Please, sir, I’m telling the truth,” Julie pleaded. “I just moved to this town with my mother. We don’t have much money, but I’m trying to help her by buying food.

Just then, the shop owner, Mama Tayo, returned. She saw the tense situation and quickly stepped in. Mama Tayo looked at Chigozie then at Julie and said, "what is this?

“This girl is planning to steal from your shop, Chigozie declared, still convinced that he was right.

Mama Tayo frowned and looked at Julie. “Is that true?” she asked.

“No, Mama Tayo,” Julie answered, almost in tears. NO I WAS JUST HANGING AROUND UNTIL YOU CAME SO I COULD BUY BREAD.

Mama Tayo looked at Julie's face for a few seconds, then faced Chigozie. “Chigozie, you’ve got it all wrong,” she said firmly. “This girl is not a thief. She's been here before to buy things for her mother. She's honest and polite. You’re barking up the wrong tree.”

Chigozie was shocked. He realized that he had made a terrible mistake. He had judged poor Julie without knowing the full story. “I’m so sorry,” Chigozie said, feeling ashamed. “I shouldn’t have accused you like that.”

Julie nodded, still shaken by the experience. “It’s okay,” she said quietly. “But please, next time, don’t judge someone before you know the truth.

Chigozie learned a valuable lesson that day. He knew that assuming things about people and framing them for things they didn't do could really hurt innocent people. From that moment on, Chigozie tried to be more understanding and less quick to judge. And he learned that just because you think you see something it doesn't mean that it is true and that to bark up the wrong tree is more harmful than good.