Day 15: Put down your gavels,

and exit the courts of your minds.

We have only the right to judge ourselves.

          Life is one long, drawn-out trial, it seems. Everyone judges one another; it's in our nature. If we disagree with what someone else is doing, or if it isn't what we would do, we consider it 'wrong' instead of just 'different'. There is a fine line between thinking these things, and actually bringing them out into the open. When you think about it, even though we may not verbally disclose the judgments we make upon each other, they will inevitably still be revealed through our actions, attitudes, and body language. There is no surefire way to hide our perceptions of each other, which means that it's best to first try to change ourselves and our own minds, instead of expecting others to do so.  

         Being judgmental and allowing assumptions to override reality is something that I personally struggle with, and I am confident to say that I'm getting better at this in time. I can't tell you how many times I have had a close family member or friend tell me that I have a poor reaction to news I don't want to hear. It didn't take very long for the message to sink in; I was embarrassed and ashamed. I started realizing how often I was judging a person, or even a situation, without first knowing all of the facts (and even when I did).  

        People do things for their own reasons, in the end. And this is the way it should be; it shouldn't matter what anyone else thinks. No one can fairly judge another's actions because there is no possible way for them to be in the exact same position, all things considered. It is all very objective and should remain that way. The difficult, yet essential part, is keeping tabs on ourselves and making sure that we don't consider everyone's business to be our own, free to be judged and analyzed as 'right' or 'wrong'. Let's be honest, things are rarely black and white as such. 

        

Give the benefit of a doubt, without a doubt.