Do you like to be judged by others? Why then do you judge other people? Do you feel truly happy when you’re judging others? There are many reasons why we judge other people. I will touch on a few of those reasons with the hope of creating an awareness upon which you may choose to no longer judge others in the same manner in which you may be presently accustomed. It’s difficult to experience true happiness while negatively judging another person.
In many cases when we’re judging other people, we are trying to appear righteous and superior in the light of another, one to whom which we are speaking negatively about the other person. We may even say that we do not intend to speak poorly of a person and state valid reasons for our judgments but we are still making the judgments. If you find yourself speaking negatively of another, honestly assess your motives. Ask yourself why you deem it necessary to speak negatively of another person’s character. At times, it may not be easy or pleasant to see the truth of our own motives. Now that I have the awareness to see when I am judging another human being, I do not feel right about it. I know I am doing something wrong, I can feel it.
What about those instances when we judge others in our minds without saying a word? Have you ever met someone and instantly upon seeing and/or hearing them, you pass judgment? Let’s say you’re introduced to a man who is wearing ripped jeans and a white t-shirt with dreadlocks in his hair. Maybe your first reaction will be that he is poor, dirty and uneducated, maybe even homeless and then you later discover that he has a Masters in music, is filthy rich and dates a supermodel. Do we not instantly make assessments of others based on what they look like, what kind of car they drive or what they do for a living? Why do we need to do this? Haven’t you ever negatively judged another person to only later feel and think differently once you got to know them? Yet we continue to judge. You can judge positively as well only to discover that person is not who you thought they were. Sure, they have a good job, dress well and have a lot of money but that doesn’t mean they have morals and values that you respect. How different life would be if we could eliminate judgmental thoughts and feelings all together. Think about what that would be like.
How often do we judge the behaviors and actions of others, whether we know them or not? There are tabloids and paparazzi that bombard us with images and stories of celebrities. As a society we viciously judge the actions of those in the public eye. I cannot imagine being under such constant unwarranted criticism. Have you ever had a friend, family member or coworker judge with disapproval a decision you made or an action that you took? You may have had a very good reason for doing what you did, that of which they are unaware. If only they understood all that went into your decision, they would probably not have judged in such a way. As much as it we may say that we don’t care what others think of us, there are times that we do care and such judgments from others may hurt us. Even if you know someone well and think you have the right to judge there behaviors or actions, you may not fully understand their reasons for doing what they do. Unless we have lived the life of another, been inside their mind, felt their feelings and experienced their experiences from their birth until the present moment, how could we possibly judge anything that they do?
Continue to reread this post, think about what you are reading and try to practice this form of compassion in your life. That’s right, compassion. It’s difficult to judge another while having compassion for that person. If we all do our part and judge a little less every day, we will make the world a better place to live. May you be happy and at peace.
Leave a Reply