Humpty Dumpty

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.

All the king's horses and all the king's men

Couldn't put Humpty together again.

I'm sure many of you are familiar with this nursery rhyme.  It's so short and has a very simple melody.  

When you think of Humpty Dumpty, do you automatically picture a person that looks like an egg?  Take a closer look a the nursery rhyme.  Where does it say that Humpty Dumpty is an egg?  

It doesn't... and yet for all our lives we assumed Humpty Dumpty was an egg.  Who told us he was an egg?  I don't recall my teachers or my parents saying he was an egg (or a male for that matter).  I honestly don't think anyone told me he was an egg.  I think I just saw a picture of Humpty Dumpty and it portrayed him as an egg.  So I just naturally assumed he was one. 

So where do assumptions come from?  Why is it so easy for us to make assumptions about other people?

Maybe our assumptions come from our denial of knowing the truth or accepting the truth.  Maybe it's easier to assume because it's more interesting or scandalous or favorable than the truth.  

And let's not forget that no only do we make assumptions about other people, but we also tend to make assumptions about ourselves.  This causes us to lose our self-confidence, or to have catastrophic thinking that derails us from accomplishing or even attempting our goals and aspirations.  

How can we stop making assumptions?  I honestly don't think it's as simple as saying, "I'm going to stop."  But we can make the effort to stop by challenging them.  Challenge its validity until you're able to know the truth yourself.  Challenge a negative assumption by making it a positive one.  

As Albert Einstein once said - "Assumptions are made and most assumptions are wrong." 

Oh and blame Lewis Carroll for why we assume that Humpty is an egg!