Judgment ....
So many times in life, we tell ourselves “I don’t judge people”. And yet, some of our first thoughts are of judgment. And for many, it’s not intended to be a negative reaction to a situation but it’s a programmed reaction we learn from an early age.
I find that I’ve had to re-program myself to not jump to judgment but to recognize when I am judging.
I have a friend who has declared “I love to judge people”. And while I don’t agree necessarily with the judging nature, I do appreciate this candor and honesty. At least when I’m around him, I know he’s judging and will often receive feedback whether I want it or not. And that’s okay for me. At least I know.
I also know my personal goal is to not judge but like most human beings, I’m a work in progress. Even today I jumped to the judgment about something said on the news and have learned to recognized when my thought jump to judgment. I’m often able to recognize it and shift back to realizing the judgment isn’t what’s important but when the lesson can be learned from the situation.
Recently I’ve had some struggles in a personal aspect of my life. Many feel like I should close the chapter and move on. The judgment of what others believe is best for me sits on my mind and yet, I hold onto the idea to reserve judgment and look past what seems obvious to find that precious gift inside the very complex situation. The fact I can hold off judgment allows me to see with my eyes wide open and I am hopeful to find the precious gift.
Judgment comes easy to do. I’ve found many times it takes the attention off of me and onto you or another. And my guess is when others are judging me; they feel the same deflection of attention as well. Imaging a world where we didn’t seek out those deflections in the form of judgment and found a world of acceptance of being faulted human beings. If we could hold judgment to see with clear eyes the precious gifts in front of us – buried in sometimes negative situations. Imagine. Just imagine.
So my challenge for myself, and for others, is to be aware enough and recognized when judgment comes to the surface and even if the judgment sneak past the barrier, recognize when it’s time to shift and redirect. And even if I get so distracted and find myself swimming in judgment, try to find the lesson in it all and how to try harder next time. ~ChaCha
