Life goal: less quick to judge

Judging fast is something we do really easily. Back in the days, when people lived in caves busy trying to survive instead of thinking about what to post next on Facebook, fast-judging was already a really important thing.

Fast-judging is human

Seeing the difference between a dangerous animal running towards you or a potential woman to get children with (in these days you could nearly notice the differences between a dangerous bear and a hairy woman), was really important. If you had the skills to make these judgments and decisions fast and easily you would have had a bigger chance to survive. Being to slow making these kind of judgments meant standing eye to eye with a hungry bear. Because of this human beings have evolved into judgers.

Nowadays you can easily judge others. People think making a quick judgment is much easier rather than thinking thoughtfully. Fast judging works efficiently because you can rapidly make decisions. In fact it’s not that crazy people make judgments constantly. It’s a thing we do naturally and without making judgments the human race would have been extinct.

So, we can’t help it?

I personally think the world would be much better off with people who do not make stupid, unreflective judgments. But honestly, I can do it too. I try to see everything with an open mind, however I sometimes fail to do so. For example I once heard my neighbour randomly scream and keeping everyone awake, including me. “What an idiot!” – excuse my language – “Why doesn’t he take into account other people want their night’s rest?” I thought. Until I found out mister neighbour had Gilles de la Tourette. Oops…

Conclusion: less quick to judge

A person doesn't ever truly know another person. They have a whole life, years and years of memories and experiences. You cannot ever know what they have felt in situations, what has happened to them, what made them who they are. So you cannot judge a person ever, unless you are able to know somenone through and through. But this is impossible, I think. That leaves us with the question: Are we able to judge people in a valid way?

#judging #life #decisions #openmind