Now I know that I, like everyone else on the planet, judge people. Hell, I'm usually the first to make a sarcastic comment about someone else (this isn't something I'm proud of but hey that's life). However, when I hear how people talk about other people, and how people expect me to respond to them I really see how judgmental most people are. It's true that we have to judge in some respect, I mean we can't be open to everyone's interpretation of the world (for instance if someone is in direct opposition to another's moral code or something like that). What I'm talking about is the belief that I (or you, or anyone) am above another person. I mean look at what I've done; I've done everything right. I grew up, I went to high school, got good grades, did activities, made friends who were nice law abiding citizens, never did anything all that risky or "bad", went to college and maybe partied a little bit but never too much, and here I am entering my senior year at 21 years old, exactly where I should be.
Do I think this makes me better than someone who took a different route? Someone who isn't on schedule the way I am? Or maybe someone who's completely lost this path and gone down another one, maybe one they're perfectly content with?
Who am I to say that I am better because I did everything right?
There are reasons I'm the person I am. I can't explain why people respond differently to the same situations but I can say that a lot of times I can see an explanation as to why a person has done what they've done or acted the way they have.
Now this may be all over the place but I think you get what I'm saying right?
Of course I get a lot of crap for saying things like that so let me be completely clear when I say that just because I try to EXPLAIN why someone may do something does not mean I am trying to EXCUSE the action. In my opinion, though, it is much better to try and understand why someone may do something "bad" and try to help them change than completely ignore possible causes.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that when I hear things like "well I'd never be in that situation... blah blah blah" I get to thinking. In this reality maybe I would never be in that situation but what if I was? How would I respond? If I lived a different life, in another place or time, with different people, how would I act? You can never be completely sure what you'd do if you were another person because you have not lived their life. Period.
A person should not have to worry about telling me something in their past because I might not like them anymore. It's not fair for me to make that judgement (obviously there are lines that need to be drawn but ya know). How can I be sure that if I was put in that same place I wouldn't have done the same exact thing?
One of my professors used to say that he'd love to see a reality tv show where they took upper middle class kids and dropped them in the middle of the ghetto with no money and forced them to live the life of someone who's grown up in that environment and we could see how long it would take them to resort to some kind of crime. It's scary to think about, but it's absolutely true. Think about it.
On that note I think it's strange that I, someone who trusts next to no one, is able to let people into my life and try to understand them without judgement while so many others close themselves off to so many different kinds of people.
Whatever it's your loss.
Peace and Love
PS title is a song lyric again from this song by Ingrid Michaelson
I reallly liked this post. I know a few times in my life I have made "mistakes" that were honestly just my reaction to where Ive come from and my life experiences. It is really important to think before we judge others- because we have never walked in there shoes.
ReplyDeleteExactly and when you really look at someone completely sometimes you can appreciate them more for their mistakes and how they've overcome the things in their lives (like you boo <3)
ReplyDelete