Its a natural part of our humanity to make judgements throughout life about the world in which we live, whether it be about situations, events or indeed people. It is a form of guide to measure ourselves and our lives. It can be a positive way to reflect where we are up to and what we need to work on. Making judgements therefore, is not necessarily always negative in nature. It can help and guide us to be better individuals!
By the same token, it can also be of detriment to us if we judge in a negative way... By measuring ourselves egotistically against other people / situations, we can take the moral high ground and our view can become tainted by our own self worth and beliefs.
As we grow up, we are conditioned with morals and beliefs about others and the world in which we live. This is healthy and natural as it gives us a basis and a form of underpinning. However, each and every one of us have some form of imprinting from our parents - and to a certain extent, take on their beliefs and values. As an adolescent, we critically evaluate and test these beliefs and strive to make up our own minds through our own worldly experience. Although there is a lack of experience and maturity at this stage, we do tend to move away from our parents / other peoples views and this in turn helps us to become an individual. The challenge however, is how we then perceive ourselves and the world through adulthood in a positive way, through continual growth!
As each decade passes, the world changes so very much and that which was once frowned upon can all of a sudden be acceptable in society, which then in turn challenges our our own thoughts ... Social media opens up the world to us.... We become more in touch with what is going on around us and are thrust into a position where we are subjected to differing values and beliefs. It is however,easy to get caught in the trap of once again returning to infancy and taking on other individuals beliefs, values and judgements.
In a previous post, I wrote about being true to self.... this is so very important if we are to progress through this life in a more meaningful way. Over the years, I have learned to be more accepting of other people, their values, beliefs and the way that they interact in the world. Each and everyone of us is on a journey and we are all at different stages, as we all have different experiences. Don't get me wrong, I am not infallible by any means.... none of us are.... we are all just human after all and have many flaws. The challenge therefore is to be more open and accepting of other people and situations and to try not to judge or measure them against ourselves! My dad once said to me that 'the saint is the sinner that continually picks himself up...' - this is something that I have tried to live by for many years... Yes I make many mistakes in life which make me stumble, but I also get back up again, learn from my mistakes and strive to become a better person, more accepting of the world in which I live. x
