Judging People

No one likes to think that they are judgmental, but we are. Some more than others, but it seems to be a part of the human condition…we judge. Fat, skinny, short, tall, rich, poor, liberal, conservative… we all judge. That, we cannot deny.

How many times have you stood in line at the grocery store and wondered why in the world would that person buy that kind of food? Why would such a pretty young woman get a tattoo? Is that kid really wearing his baggy pants below his butt? Does that old guy with the comb-over really think it hides his bald spot? What’s worse is that most of the time we are doing it unconsciously, without even thinking.

So why do we judge people, even those closest to us?

Egos. Our egos constantly need to know that they are smarter than, stronger than, better looking than and ultimately…superior to others. Yet, our egos lay hidden deep within who we THINK we are just waiting for the chance to leap out. We unconsciously see others as more than or less than, but rarely equal to who we are.

Being aware of our egos and the ego’s need to be fed is the first step to getting off the judgment-go-round. Become aware that we are judging! In that awareness, we come to realize that in judging others…we are ultimately judging our selves. In judging others, we see ourselves as separate and apart from everyone else. We fail to see, we fail to understand how we are all connected to one another.

In our isolation and uniqueness, our egos go to work telling us that we are more important, we are more RIGHT, we are more moral than others. That feeling of superiority and that feeling of “rightness” too often leads to violence, war, torture, rape and murder. Our egos allow us to view others as less than human. Thus we have the Holocaust and the Killing Fields of Cambodia and a whole host of other atrocities throughout history. Our egos become like the jealous thumb that secretly plots to rid the hand of its fingers only to find that the hand can no longer grasp and climb.

We judge because of our egos. It blinds us to who we really are.

Food for THOUGHT…