A Little More Kindness, A Little Less Judgement

Hi there!

Imagine this situation. You are driving across a street and the car in front of you is driving too slowly. You somehow manage to overtake that car and look across to see who is driving. You see a lady and almost instantly you make a judgement: “Oh, a lady driver. No wonder she was driving that way!”

Take another instance. Someone in your social circle took a leap of faith and chose an unconventional career path. A lot of people will make up stories stating: “Maybe he/she did not get a job anywhere.” Or, “He/she is a fool to have chosen this path when he/she could have made a lot of money being in XYZ position in that company.”

The essence of stating this was to throw light on how judgemental we can be! It has become second nature to us to instantly have an opinion about someone or something without even knowing the entire truth.

Especially in the era of social media, we can see a lot of scathing comments below almost all social media posts and YouTube videos, forming judgements or presumptions about a person.

But have we thought about what would be the long-term effects of judgementalism on people and society as a whole?

Yes, there might be people who will say that they are thick-skinned and these comments don’t bother them. But over time, these words will corrode their self-esteem, make them feel worthless and lead to mental health issues as well. Why, they might even stop sharing their thoughts altogether because no matter what they do, nobody would appreciate their efforts and say a kind word or two.

So, how do we try and incorporate this to live an enriching life?

There is so much power in showing kindness and empathy. Not only does it boost the morale of the receiver, but also makes the person who delivers kindness feel good about themselves.

Being kind and empathetic costs NOTHING. We do not need to make grand gestures or shower people with a lot of appreciation. We have to be patient and try to step into the shoes of the person on the other end and understand their situation.

A word of appreciation. A listening ear that is patient and unbiased. Contributing towards causes that interest you such as education, environment and so on. And most importantly, showing kindness to yourself.

Also, have you heard about Random Acts of Kindness? If you look it up on the internet, you will find scores of ideas which you can implement to take a step forward.

But, you may also wonder, how do we stop this judgemental behaviour? I know, it is like a leech that does not go away that easily.

The first step is to realise and accept that you are judging someone or something without knowing the context. To accept is to win half the battle, always. Every time after this whenever you catch yourself judging, stop yourself right there and try to keep a neutral opinion.

Always thinking positively is not the way to go, of course. Certain situations are quite clear and you should take them at face value. But when you do not know the how and why, hold back in making a judgement about it.

And as I mentioned above, implement some tiny ways to show kindness and empathy. If you do not find anyone to showcase this, look at yourself.

More often than not, we judge ourselves more than we judge others. Caught yourself wondering why you are not like someone else? Or why do you look the way you do? Have you tried changing yourself only to please someone else? You are judging yourself there!

“A Little More Kindness, A Little Less Judgement.” That’s the way to go!

What are your thoughts on this? Let me know in the comments.

Until next time, stay kind and stay blessed!