Recently, I learned firsthand why it's a bad idea to judge people prematurely  . I'm a nursing supervisor, and my job is to evaluate workers' performances at the hospital. Kenny was a new employee. After weeks' probation  , I had to admit that he was clean, punctual and efficient. But he had this self-assured and energetic presence. He was a large man, both physically and socially -- he was independent and strong. I worried that our hospital, which demanded teamwork, was not right for such a personality. We had a patient named Mary. At 94 years old, Mary was weak. She had outlived her husband and sisters. Mary had an obsessive   belief that someone had taken her purse. She searched for it all the time. Unless tied to her wheelchair, she would go through the door onto the street mindlessly searching and never giving up. She was often sitting in her wheelchair in the hallway, where she stopped everyone who came near. "Can you lend me a comb?" she would ask. "I've lost mine. It was in my red purse. Where is my purse?" Every day it was the same. We all knew Mary didn't have a purse, but we would answer: "Sure, if I see your purse I'll bring it back." One afternoon, I saw Kenny walking down the hall with a grocery bag. He walked toward Mary in her wheelchair. He pulled out a red purse. Mary's old hands flew up to her face in a gesture of wonder and joy, and then flew out hungrily like a starved child taking bread. Mary grabbed the red purse. She held it for a moment, and then pressed it to her breast, rocking it like a baby. Kenny leaned over, unzipped the purse open and showed Mary a comb inside. Tears of joy poured down Mary's face. Instead of paying lip service like the rest of us, Kenny had made Mary's problem his problem. I had been wrong about Kenny. What kind of message does the author intend to convey?
Pay attention to what people do instead of what they say. We should treat older people with patience and kindness. Don't come to a conclusion too quickly when you don't know all the facts. We can always find a teacher in another, even when we least expect it.