I’ll be the Judge of that!

Often we are told not to judge or be judgmental. While it’s true that a book shouldn’t be judged by its cover, sometimes we have no other choice but to make snap decisions based on what we see.

“Don’t be Judgmental” is frequently heard advice but in some instances, the choice has to be made strictly on the basis of a first impression. Should we now feel conflicted on account of this hasty evaluation or be ashamed because circumstances dictated we rush to judgement?

No matter what you’ve heard, we ALL our judgmental. Yes, that’s right. Everyone. But we can learn to overcome these predispositions. Judgment is more of an assessment or reasoning based on previous events. It is essentially pre-judging or prejudice from prior experiences. The conscious decision to make is not allowing our prejudices to cloud our opinions moving forward.

I catch myself “judging” people based on first impressions but what I tell myself is don’t let past experiences determine the final outcome. For instance, if I meet someone who has multi-colored hair, facial piercings, or multiple tattoos, in the past my initial reactions were negative. However, when I realize it’s occurring, I’ll go out of my way to get to know the person. To my delight, they normally turn out to be outstanding people.

Being judgmental very well may be a trait of the human species but it doesn’t mean that is the only way our opinions are formed. Prejudices only limit our ability for personal growth. Questioning ourselves and our motives is healthy in the constant struggle to get a better understanding of who we are.