Think before you judge

 I am a technology-obsessed millennial night owl. So as my usual routine before bed, I decided to scroll through my various social media apps. Although I knew it would negatively affect my sleep, I continued to do so.

If you open any social media app or news now a days, all you get to see or read or listen to is hate speeches and bad-mouthing without respecting others' opinions. Everyone thinks that they are superior and always judge others without even trying to think from others' points of view.

Social media has its side effects, but I always try to learn something useful from it. Have you guys ever come across a post or a message forwarded in social media, which completely changed the way you think?

That day one of the posts I read utterly changed the way I think and made me feel better about myself. It goes something like this,

"I am a bad person who thinks bad thoughts like "Ew what that girl is wearing" and then remember that I'm supposed to be positive about all the things and then think "No! She can wear what she wants, f**k what other people say, damn girl. You look fabulous, and I'm just a teeny bit hypocritical bi*ch." I was always taught by my mother that the first thought that goes through your mind is what you have been conditioned to think. What you think next defines who you are."

I was in shock. Finally, I got a justification for why I think the way I think. I always wanted to be a broad-minded girl, but I end up judging that person for her/his looks. Whenever I see a person, I would think, why is she wearing that dress? It doesn't suit her body type. Why is he wearing those shoes that don't go well with formals, etc. And the very next moment I tell myself what the heck are you doing, Vaishali, who are you to judge anyone? If it's your wish to wear bright lipstick and nail paints to work, then it's their choice to wear whatever they want to. And I used to feel guilty of myself and call myself a hypocrite. But this post made me feel better, and I sighed and told myself, I am still a good girl.

Good girl!!

Being a good girl, isn't that too what we were conditioned to be? From childhood, we were taught continuously what is good and what is bad. But good and bad are relative concepts. What you think as a good habit might be an unhealthy habit to the other. For example, eating one kind of meat is holy in some cultures, and it is forbidden in some others. Dressing in one particular way is considered as rebellious in some part of the world and tradition in other. We are no one to decide.

You don't know what other person is going through or has gone through unless you step into their shoes. Your life experiences are different than those of each and every person around you. In real life, it is not possible to step into the shoes of every person you meet, meaning you cannot experience every single person's life before stop judging them. But regardless, we make assumptions.

No one has it easy. Every single person on planet earth is fighting his own battle. So, let's stop stereotyping. Let's not judge people based on anything. It's Okay if you have been judgmental before. It's never too late to unlearn and re-learn. Every day, make a constant effort to be a better version of yourself than the previous day.

The world becomes a beautiful place to live when we stop judging each other and start accepting everyone as they are.