Question

'Appearances can be deceptive'. Give your views on this topic.

Answer 1

This proverb unearths a hidden truth, ironically to the old one we were used to, that had earlier said, “Face is the index of the mind.” Previously people were taken by the look of a person. If one dressed neatly and appeared to be very nice and decent, especially – if that person is very handsome – people were influenced by his look and instantly fell for him like a hypnotized. It was only when that good looking person had cheated the believer he/she learned a bitter lesson.
          Nevertheless, this proverb, ‘Appearances can be deceptive’ cannot be taken as one hundred percent true. It has a mixture of both good and bad. Good people, of course, look good. At the same time, bad ones also wear the guise of good people, knowing that their appealing appearances would have a sway over the onlookers.
         Hence, under this tricky situation, one has to be cautious as to how far that person is trustworthy. By casual conversation, how that person reacts to different situations, what he/she laughs at that can betray his/her mental maturity, his kindness, his anger, his way of cracking jokes, how he behaves in public places, how he respects the fellow citizens as well as the aged, how he/she spends money and so on. These are some of the yardsticks for assessing a person.
            Some of the decent looking people behave in an odd way, while some others, though ugly looking, behave very well. Therefore, it is not possible to judge a person by his/her external look. A variant of this proverb says, “Not to judge a book by its cover.”
          George Bernard Shaw and Shakespeare were not handsome. But their writings have portrayed their high intellect. Great writer Helen Keller was not a beautiful lady. She was deprived of sight, hearing impaired, unable to speak when she was just a two-year-old child.
But fighting all odds, she had become a celebrity author!
           Contrary to this, Walt Disney was not only handsome but had an international reputation by his steadfast work, devotion, and dedication. So, one must not come to a conclusion by mere external look of a person or a thing, be it a book or any commodity for that matter. A spurious product can be more attractive than a genuine one. Some substandard quality products, mostly from China, look good. After some time, they are tending to develop problems beyond salvage.
        One can hear a politician talk for a long time, making all false promises. If the voters believed him and elected him, his true color would be exposed. Remember it is also said that, “All that glitter is not gold.” A very well polished brass would pass upon more people than rough genuine gold. Similarly, gold-coated jewels. Do not judge a person by his look. It is said that “All men have eyes, but only a few have the gift of penetration.”