One of the most common bad habits people
have is judging others. We form opinions about them based on their accent, we
pick friends based on their clothing, we make fun of people because of their
political and religious beliefs.
Yet, each of us is imperfect
ourselves. So in judging others, we place ourselves upon a false, higher plane and
demonstrate our vanity. To someone else, though, our accent is odd, our clothes
not as good, and our political and religious beliefs laughable. We probably don’t
appreciate their opinion about us, so just as no one else has the right to
judge us, so we shouldn’t judge others.
Judging others really only creates
negativity in the world. By inferring that we are better, we arrange the
landscape so that others are inferior. This only leads to others feeling hurt
and ultimately to conflict as they lash back in disagreement or to reassert their
equality. It causes others who consider themselves superior to assert that
belief over others through oppression.
When we judge others, we ultimately
judge ourselves. Through our judgment, we objectify them and in doing so
objectify ourselves. The judge always is the opposite of the judged. Each of us
must ask ourselves: If you do not want others to objectify you, why would you
objectify yourself?
This doesn’t mean that we don’t set
standards to live by. But we set them for ourselves not for others. We judge
our decisions and actions – not the decisions and actions of others – against
the bar of those standards. So, give yourself this challenge today: Can you
live up to the standard of not judging others?
If you can, you may find yourself
happier.
No comments:
Post a Comment