Who Are You To Judge?

1. 61

   Phil Perezposted 10 years ago

   Who Are You To Judge?
   
   I always wondered at the question...Never understanding the full length and depth of it. Why do people say it? Is it to remind others that we're all equal? Is it to say you don't know anything until you've experienced what someone else has experienced? I'm sure there are endless amounts of questions to be asked, but I'd like your interpretation.

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   Helen.Mposted 10 years ago

   Good question? I feel some people think they know better than others.So to those people they feel others must hear there opinion.

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3. 57

   Netty netposted 10 years ago

   I try to see the good in other people; Its not right, howevery, we all do it

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4. 69

   dashingscorpioposted 10 years ago

   Too often people confuse one's "opinion" with being judged.
   Everyone is entitled to have their own likes and dislikes. In fact it's human nature to make snap decisions on a wide variety of things (without doing a deep dive) to explore something or someone fully.
   You see/hear/ read something daily and immediately say I don't like that. It's human nature.
   Someone for example may see a person walking down the street with bright green hair, tattoos on their face, and ten earrings in each ear and think to them self; "that guy is weird". However he may be the nicest guy you'd ever want to meet.
   Not liking the way someone looks or being uncomfortable around them is not "judging" unless you discriminate or somehow have the power to control whether they get something or not.
   Lets say he tried hit on a girl who thought was cute and she shot him down or chose not to speak back to him.
   Each of us gets to choose our own friends, lovers, and spouse.
   Now the guy with the green hair may have the attitude that he hates people staring at him or he feels people "judge him" for the way he looks. However it was his goal to stand out from the crowd!
   To "stand out" means to be noticed. People who choose not to "conform" should not be upset or surprised when people do a double take. Anyone who is not "the norm" will draw attention.
   In other instances people look at other people in various situations such as teenage pregnancy, alcohol or drug addiction, or a prostitute and make a snap decision about them based upon their core beliefs or personal experience having dealt with someone or heard about a person in similar circumstances. It's unrealistic to expect everyone to automatically empathize.
   The first thing most people do is tell themselves that they would "never" do such and such. It's how we identify ourselves in the world. That's normal.
   Having said that it's not unusual to find ourselves doing something in the future we swore we'd never do.

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      gmwilliamsposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      This is a smart statement.  Right as always, Mr. Dashing!

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5. 68

   Rod Marsdenposted 10 years ago

   I admit it. I feel that I am better than someone who would kill over a story or a book or a cartoon in a magazine. I also feel I am better than the 100 or so lost souls who have ventured from Australia to join Islamic State. I believe in life and not death. I believe in the written word and not the sword. Sure, I know poverty is at the root of religious fanaticism but I'm not rich. And I don't have the urge to go overseas and destroy ancient monuments and murder people.

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6. 66

   Motherbynatureposted 10 years ago

   Humans have totally exploited this phrase...lol
   
   When it was written in the Bible, it was to remind us that we all sin and are unfit to say who is a "good person" vs a "bad person".
   
   "He who is without sin, cast the first stone."
   
   This does not mean that you should just let people run rampant on the earth doing whatever they like. It's ok and it's our duty to tell someone that it is not ok to steal, murder, lie, cheat, etc. 
   
   The people who do live in such a way that it frequently causes pain or loss to others love to throw this phrase around like a 'get out of jail FREE' card.  What they actually mean is, "Let me sin in peace".  These are usually people who have no regard for human life.  I've heard this a lot from people who drink and drive. We have a duty to let people know they are doing wrong but if they choose to continue it's not our job to chase them (outside of enforcing the law).  Circumstances run faster than people and will inevitably catch up with them. 
   
   On the flip side we also don't have a right to judge who is a good and moral person.  We judge by what we see and know.  God sees everything and we could probably fill another planet with what we don't know about poeple.
   
   How many times have we seen on the news people saying, "He was such a good person.  I don't know what happened."?  This is after some 'nice' person has shot up a school, molested some kids or had a few mistresses. 
   
   We're basically sizing people up based on how successful they are at keeping up appearances.  We

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7. 37

   ChristinSposted 10 years ago

   I've always taken it as a simple reminder to be mindful before being too harsh, that each of us has made mistakes and no one is perfect.  It is a reminder to try to empathize with others.  That being said, judgment is not always unhealthy.  When you are walking somewhere and feel threatened by someone who is acting strangely and choose to take a different path for example - are you judging that person/situation?  Yes, of course, but it's a natural instinctive response you are making for the sake of self-preservation. 
   
   We all judge people, every single one of us.  It's what you do after that initial judgment.  As Dashing mentioned the guy with tattoos and piercings - if your first judgment is "wow, that's strange" - normal.  What becomes problematic is when you refuse to talk to the person at all or you assume he is "bad" just because he looks different and then, based on only assumptions and not knowledge, you continue to treat him as "lesser" than you.  THAT is the type of judgment we all need to work to not engage in. 
   
   It's easy to form snap judgments and then continue to treat them as gospel truths, but that leads to chaos.  Better to understand that we need to all work harder to get beyond those snap judgments and dig deeper.  That's where empathy, intellect and just plain being a good person come in.

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      dashingscorpioposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Excellent point! Ignoring "red flags" or one's instincts often leads to regret. If you sense someone is a threat to you it's best to honor your perception of them  rather than gamble with your life in order to prove you're not judgmental.

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8. 86

   Electro-Denizenposted 10 years ago

   Perhaps it goes even deeper than 'he who is without sin cast the first stone' etc...
   
   Perhaps, focusing ones attention on what's out there and attaching any importance to it, is spiritually detrimental.
   
   How can beings become free if they remain enslaved by the circus that exists around them?
   
   Perhaps refraining from casting a judgment, is the small first step toward emancipation

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