“Don’t judge a book by its cover”

This now-famous phrase first appeared in George Eliot’s 1860 novel, The Mill on the Floss. The protagonist, Mr. Tulliver uses the phrase in discussing Daniel Defoe’s The History of the Devil, saying how the book was beautifully bound.

Ironic. A concept so easily understood and yet so difficult to master. Because humans are all wired to make snap judgments in assessing the danger to keep us alive. However, ideas are not harmful and are not actual real threats of danger like a swinging bat to the head. Yet, we struggle to listen, and in fact, turn off when hearing something different from our worldview. In fact, we actually experience pain, and as a result, choose to ignore such information.

We rather not go through such forms of transformation because of the amount of change it would require.