Even if you think you don’t, you do. We naturally judge the world in order to understand and process it. All of us do it. Now how we judge the world is quite different for different groups of people. Your values and beliefs create a kaleidoscopic lens, in which you see people through! Or you can call it your “biases.”
Many, if not all people, have felt the discrimination from someone who has judged us. Whether it was blatant harassment or just a mere snark, it penetrates deep. As we get older (or should I say get wiser) we learn that everybody is in their own world. They have biases that have nothing to do with us.
Though, If we get caught up in their world view (what they have judged us for), we can easily believe we are less valuable, less worthy than them.
The judging person has a belief that people need to be, do, or act a specific way to be a ‘worthy’ person in the world. They could even believe a person has to look a certain way—wear certain clothes, carry themselves with particular manners, etc. Sometimes we have to look beyond blaming the judger and see the real culprit: society and cultural norms, rules & beliefs.
If We All Judge People, What Can We Do About It?
We can change out the lens in which we judge people. We can talk about it with our friends, co-workers, even write about it online ;). It’s called a cultural shift, and I think we are in the process of it now!
What We Should Judge People On
♦Their integrity to staying true to themselves
-How real they are
-How they say no to what they don’t want and yes to what they do
-Speaking what is the truth within themselves
-How confident they are in their own uniqueness
♦Character attributes like compassion, humility & honesty
♦What they give to the world without expecting anything in return
-A talent/skill/pursuit/hobby they would do even if they did not get anything from it
-providing an act of kindness, giving one’s attention, or going out of the way to affect a person positively
♦How they see the world// the lens they choose to observe life
-Through love, humor, friendliness
♦What they have had to overcome & character strengths like perseverance, tenacity & grit
Next time you find yourself judging people on how much money they have or don’t have, how many followers they have on social media, or on what they look like I hope you remember this list!!
I’m ready for a world that not only accepts each and every person’s uniqueness but one that also believes the betterment of our neighbor is covertly the betterment of us all.
If you want to read about specific ideas that formed our western values read this!
Much Love,
Kristina