Judge Away...It's Human Nature

Disclaimer:  This was written several months ago.  I went back and forth with whether or not I was going to post it and decided I would.  And I thought I did.  Turns out it's been hanging out in my drafts for a while.  Oops.  :/



So in a very casual conversation with a coworker the other day I made these statements:

"I don't do that.  I mean, I don't judge people that do.  I just don't do it."

 

His response: "Yes you do.  Judge people.  Everyone says they don't judge people and everyone does.  How did you come to the decision not to do it?  By judging."

 

Now this particular coworker, although one of my favorite people, is somebody that you just want to argue with.  Know what I mean?  Like he always has to be right so you just want to argue and hope you can prove him wrong.  Surely I'm not the only person like this.  Maybe I am.  Anyways, so I open my mouth for the argument of a lifetime...and then just pause.  I had nothing to say.  He was right.  He was absolutely right.  I simply said, "you're right," and closed my mouth.  (I might have rolled my eyes, too).  He just grinned...like I said, he REALLY likes being right...and continued with his point.  Look, dude, I already said you were right.  We can stop this conversation right here, thank you very much.

 

Now I don't even remember what "it" was that I insisted I didn't judge people for doing, but that little conversation kept me thinking for days.  Almost consumed me.  In fact, I wrote part of this blog post in my head in the shower.  (Some of my best thoughts come while I'm in the shower.)  So here it is:  Everyone judges.  It's partly human nature.  It's partly instilled in us as we're growing up.  If it weren't for being so judgmental, most of us would probably be dead by now.  We learn to judge between right and wrong.  Between safe and unsafe.  We judge all the time what is pleasing to our eyes and what is not.  (<--- That sounded way nicer than saying we judge between pretty and ugly.)  If we think drinking alcohol is wrong, we judge people that do it.  If we think smoking cigarettes is wrong, we judge people that do it.  If we think being gay is wrong, we judge people that are.  Hell, a lot of us think judging others is wrong...so we judge people for judging.  Do you see where I'm going?  "I'm judging the action, not the person."  Shut up.  "But the Bible says not to judge people."  Does it?  Now I know I don't have the right to condemn people for their wrongdoings, because I have plenty of my own.  And I believe that's what a lot of the verses of the Bible that talk about judgment are talking about.  We have the right to judge.  We DO NOT have the right to condemn others for what we judge to be wrong. 

 

So to those of you who, like me, claim "I don't judge people that do it," yes you do.  And it's ok.  There is a difference in not judging people for doing it and accepting them even though they do it.  Judge away.  It's human nature.