James Allen wrote:He who aspires to the betterment of himself and humanity should ceaselessly strive to arrive at the exercise if that blessed attitude of mind by which he is enabled to put himself, mentally and sympathetically, in the place of others, and so, instead of harshly and falsely judging them, and thereby making himself unhappy without adding to the happiness of those others, he will enter into their experience, will understand their particular frame of mind, and will feel for them and sympathise with them.
One of the great obstacles to the attainment of such an attitude of mind is prejudice, and until this is removed it is impossible to act towards others as we would wish others to act towards us. Prejudice is destructive of kindness, sympathy, love and true judgement, and the strength of a man's prejudice will be the measure of his harshness and unkindness towards others, for prejudice and cruelty are inseparable.
There is no rationality in prejudice, and, immediately it is aroused in a man he ceases to act as a reasonable being, and gives way to rashness, anger and injurious excitement. He does not consider his words nor regard the feeling and liberties of those against whom his prejudices are directed. He has, for the time being forfeited his manhood, and has descended to the level of an irrational creature. While a man is determined to cling to his preconceived opinions, mistaking them for Truth, and refuses to consider dispassionately the position of others, he cannot escape hatred nor arrive at blessedness.