Living in a Judgemental Society

How would you react, upon being called fat? What would you do if someone judges you for being real? When presented with these situations, we can simply decide to love ourselves more and focus on what’s really important, OR we can choose to react to the pressure of these comments by putting so much effort in seeking approval from others. Unfortunately, most of the people opt for the latter. Too many a time, we abide by these “labels” given to us, and try all sorts of ways to try to cope with the feeling of rejection by keeping it to ourselves and continuously try to get used to it.

Today we live in a society that stereotypes; where sadly judging has become a norm, one that not many actually realize how it can be detrimental to the community. Every single day, people are judged or commented on for the character they portray or the actions they perform. Children are being compared to one another; teenagers commented and criticized for not being able to fit in. We are condemned for not doing enough, or for doing too much. And too many a time do we come across situations where we are judged by the colours of our skin, instead of the beauty in our hearts. For one reason or another, it seems that we naturally assume that others aren’t quite the way they should be. It’s as if we’re constantly looking faults to pick on in others to make up for the lack of confidence in ourselves, which just shows how ugly our society has become. Ironically enough, we make up most of this ‘society’ we claim. The cold bitter truth is that we are the ones responsible. From young, we are used to indulge in light gossips, from that of our friends, teachers, people we personally know, to strangers we’ve never even met before. But when a gossip turns ugly, the outcome can be harsh, eventually leading to unforeseen psychological effects and in extreme cases, identity crisis.

The way we act and behave today are in one way or the other shaped by the way we were treated in the past. When introduced to strangers, it is only natural to jump to conclusions without prior knowledge of their backgrounds. What is it that makes us feel like we have the right to categorize someone as arrogant, lazy or weak? Given the chance to know a person, we’d probably understand why people behave as they do today. The act of judging does not define who they are, it defines the type of person you are. By doing so we are suppressing their inner voice, prohibiting them from uncovering their true identity. The root of this lies within a lack of acceptance and understanding, narrow-mindedness and sheer crowd behaviour. Fed by misleading beliefs, we think it is okay to deny others the acceptance that we yearn to have.

So an open letter to the beautiful people out there:

Not everybody knows your story, let them think as they wish. Truth to be told, not everybody understands and not everybody wants to. Save your breath for those who do.

And to those who judge before walking in their shoes:

You have no idea what journey they’re embarking on. No idea what they’re going through at that point in time. No idea where they came from or how they were raised.So in this common space we share, let us not criticize before trying to understand. Channel that energy instead towards making ourselves better individuals, making our lives and that of those around us worthwhile.