Judgement

I hold judgement in my hand. I turn it over and over, like some puzzle I haven’t quite fully figured out.

From the moment our eyes flickered open the day we entered the world we began to learn judgement.

Taught by our guardians, what they had been taught by theirs. Passed down generation to generation.

Some things have kept us safe, alive, thriving even. Some things have been poison.

Some things society has influenced.

We judge people for both good and bad reasons.

Society has influenced the way we perceive so much.

It has told us that fat women are less desirable humans.

It has told us that men who process emotions in a healthy manner are flawed.

Society whispers lies that hurt so many.

Society says that our opinions should be boasted loudly, even if they hurt other people.

Society has fed us these untruths, and we eat them up. Feast on them.

We are Society. We are the liars. We are the spreaders of sick.

But why? Why do we use our words to wound? Why do we make cruel, unnecessary judgments?

Those flabby arms have helped and held many people, so why do we scoff at them?

The woman who made up her face this morning doesn’t need you questioning why she did it. Does it make you feel better to tell her you don’t like the way it looks?

That overweight man doesn’t deserve to be gawked at as he reads his book, and yet, we stare anyway, with all manner of unkind thoughts swimming quickly by. These judgmental thoughts seem almost unintentional as they cloud our vision of people.

We have every opportunity to encourage instead of berate.

But we use our minds in petty ways.

I could write a book on the religious people I know who use their belief system to judge others actions, deem them as wrong, and use their religion as pretty blanket to cover the hurt they spread.

Let’s exfoliate our brains. Can we start looking at others like they are pure, beautiful, magic?

Judgement, in the long run is good. However, we rarely use it for good. We still let people hurt us, even when our gut screams, “no”. Boundaries can be set without cruelty.

So, who encouraged us to be such assholes, and why do we just keep going along with it?