Judgement

There is a term in Wing-T football where a defense starts to see ghosts. They are reacting to things that are not happening. They see what appears to be a run play and the next thing you know the ball is being passed to a wide open player. Before they figure out what is going on it’s too late.

I worry this is what is happening in much of our discourse in politics, religious beliefs, but most importantly each other. We create narratives in our minds about who a person is and refuse all other evidence to the contrary. I know that I have felt judged by people who really don’t know a lot or anything about me. I am more than the single sum of any act that I have done in life.

A few thoughts to remember when passing judgement:

1- Don’t judge people based on their “worst” characteristics.

2- What has your personal interaction been? There have been many times in my life when people have said things about someone and I have thought or said – they have always been good to me. If your interaction has been positive have the courage to let that be known.

3- When someone says things about a person try to remain objective. What is being said is almost always biased based off of personal opinions and agenda’s.

4- Be kind – none of us know how we would act in a similar situation. It’s easy to sit in judgement never having to make the decisions or actions people are being judged for.

5- Don’t engage in gossip or hearsay. We can cast judgements on people that are not based in reality.

Most people really are trying to do the very best they can in the situation they find themselves. We all have issues and problems that are seen and unseen. Let’s stop judging and look for the good in each other.