Opinions and Judgments2 min read
share:
Many things in life are hard.
Work is hard.
Marriage is hard.
Aging is hard.
But none of these is as hard as not voicing our opinions and judgments.
We all have an opinion or judgment about almost everything.
This is not a modern phenomenon. Since the beginning of time, we have judged others as well as ourselves.
It would be one thing if we had opinions and judgments and kept silent, but quite another thing to voice our opinions and judgments.
“He or she is this way or that way.”
“He should do that, and she shouldn’t do that.”
“They should think that, and they shouldn’t think that.”
“This is good, and that is bad.”
For some reason, I’ve developed a real sensitivity to opinions and judgments.
Perhaps it’s because what follows opinions and judgments are often accusations, blame, and criticism.
We don’t seem to be able to help ourselves.
Note that opinions and judgments are always about the past or the future.
“She’s always done that.”
“Because they did this, they will do it again.”
“He will never learn.”
And when we voice our opinions and judgments, we create an inflexible reality.
Then, our interactions with others become limited and rigid.
Of course, none of us do this!
We are too enlightened to do that!
Yet, I challenge you to notice when you voice an opinion or judgment of another.
Does it expand or improve your relationship with that person?
Or does it put them into a box and limit possibilities?
What might it be like if we made an effort to judge less and voice our opinions of others less frequently?
This is one of the simplest ways to wake up to what is real.
Start with still awareness of the other in the moment, without judgment or opinion.
And then, in that awareness, see what you notice and what happens.
Cheers, Robert
P.S. If you reply to this, please don’t give me your opinion or judgment; simply tell me what happens when you try to stop judging and expressing your opinion of someone in your life or in the world.
share:
