Three Cups of Tea vs. Community Meals

The misconception of people is very similar in what Greg Mortenson experiences in the book Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and my experiences with Community Meals at First Baptist Church. In Three Cups of Tea, Mortenson points out the fact that most people have the idea that all Muslims are terrorists or awful people. But he clarifies that that is not true and most of the Pakistani people are good caring people. He states this fact when he says, "' I wish all the Americans who think 'Muslim' is just another way of saying 'terrorist' could have been there that day. The true core tenants of Islam are justice, tolerance, and charity, and Syed Abbas respresented the moderate center of Muslim faith eloquently"' (Mortenson 257). The same goes for the perception people have of the homeless and poor. A lot of people think that they are all drug addicted, drunk, or crazy. I found this to be quite wrong when serving food for them at First Baptist Church. They were all nice people and very appreciative of our help. I even saw a couple families, which pulls at your heart strings. I do not believe I saw any crazy people there, and maybe two or three alcohoic or drug addicted people out of 140, which is a pretty good ratio. We all need to follow the phrase, "don't judge a book by its cover", because you never really know the insight into someones life unless you talk to them and get to know them. Just think of all the relaionships you could miss out on just because of assumptions, whether it be a Muslim or a person in need.