"Reading"

Judgment.

We do it unconsciously, consciously, and without any thought at all. We do it every minute of every day. As we are walking to class, looking at the people around us, watching TV, reading facebook posts. Whenever we see anything relating to another person (real or fictional), we put forth a judgment: a preconceived idea of what we think they are really like. That person didn't spend too much time on themselves this morning. Wow, they just made a really dumb decision. She looks conceited. He looks like a jerk. I can't believe they just did that.

It's a natural thing, to judge others. It's how we interact with others around us. It's how we deal with things that are different to us, and how we chose to view the world. Judgment is almost inevitable. We do it without realizing what we are doing.

It is unavoidable... and it can also be very hurtful.

We judge without thinking, but you can always think about what you do with that judgment.

We cannot help forming prejudices and preconceptions about other people, but we have the power to do something good with those judgments. No one says that because you think someone might be a jerk that you have to avoid them and give them mean glares because it looks like they're looking at you funny. You have no idea what kinds of things are going on in their life. You NEVER can know. Some people think that they can read others and that it is easy to pick out how a certain person is and what their exact personality will be, but until you really get to know that person, I don't think anyone can really "read" a person correctly. You may have good guesses or generalities, but you can never know what that person is going through.

So please, be careful what you say. Even in hushed tones, private conversations, and especially what you tell others. Just as you can never tell what a person is going through, you can never tell what impact your words might have on others.

I am not a perfect saint when it comes to judgments. I make unfair judgments all the time, and it may or may not prevent me from being a good person sometimes. But I think that we should all keep this in consideration.

We all know that you, yourself, have your own problems that no one else knows about. Know one could ever really understand what you are going through, and it pains you when people are inconsiderate and don't understand. Well that's the same for EVERYONE, people!! It's not all about yourself! You live in a world where it is absolutely impossible to avoid human contact. The world does not revolve around you. It revolves around people, and you're just one of them.

If you don't want people to judge you all the time, be the better person and don't let your judgments of others get in the way of your being a good person. It's as simple as that.

"Don't just look for the right person; be the right person"


Sorry for the rant, but it's something I've been thinking about lately.