Making Judgments is Normal, Right?
We all do it: we think things about other people throughout the day and judge them without knowing them. Most of the time these thoughts come and go in a split second without us even really noticing them. It is totally normal, common, and even expected in our society. We are raised to compare ourselves to others. It helps us know where we stand and how we should feel about ourselves, at least that is what we are led to believe. But just because something is “normal” or popular, doesn’t mean that it is right. To give you an idea of what I mean by passing judgments, think about this….
Have you ever had any of the following kinds of fleeting thoughts?
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You walk into Walmart and see the people that look like they just got out of bed and didn’t bother to change out of their pajamas and think something like, “Whoa, you need to go home, shower, and put on some real clothes. Gross.”
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You enter a restaurant with a buffet and see several obese people passing by with their plates overflowing and you suddenly feel disgusting and worry about looking like them if you continue to eat there.
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You go to the beach and can’t help looking at the women who look perfect in bikinis and feeling resentful that you can’t look like that.
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You see the gorgeous looking young man walking down the street with the beautiful blonde holding his hand and think, “Some people have all the luck.”
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You see the young mom walking down the street pushing her cute, precious baby and think “how dare you flaunt your happiness in front of me, don’t you know I can’t get pregnant?”
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You see some rich guy driving past in a very expensive car and think, “Money is wasted on the wrong people” or “Ugh, I hate it when people show off.”