briskwolf16 said:I find this trait deeply unattractive. So many people resort to judgment simply because they're drowning in jealousy. The other day, I was standing at a bus stop, just waiting, when I overheard a group of people tearing into their neighbors. They were obsessing over the neighbor's fleet of vehicles, making all these snide remarks about how they must have stolen them, claiming there’s absolutely no way someone with their line of work could afford such a collection. It struck me then—if these people spent half as much time focusing on their own lives instead of policing everyone else's, they might actually build up a fleet of their own. A friend of mine was telling me about a business trip he took to Mexico recently, and he noted how much more cohesive people seemed there, really pulling together and supporting one another. Meanwhile, back at his firm, it’s nothing but constant bickering and backstabbing. As Perkins once wisely said: "Americans will forgive you for almost anything, except for your success." Honestly, I think if people just turned their attention inward toward their own struggles and goals, they’d have far less energy to waste on judging others.
That is precisely the point I am trying to make regarding those individuals who, driven by jealousy or some other petty grievance, feel entitled to pass judgment on others. In our national psyche, this behavior is treated as perfectly acceptable; if someone acquires wealth, there is an immediate, knee-jerk assumption that they must be a thief or otherwise corrupt. Instead of lifting one another up, we tend to pull each other down. It reminds me of how Perkins once remarked to his neighbor that he’d rather see the neighbor's cow die just to ensure he wasn't the only one left without anything. It is, quite frankly, a pathetic way to live.
Jose Morris7 said:Ah... as long as you're aware of it, you've got yet another reason to be satisfied with yourself. These days, it seems being a decent, rational human is the hardest thing to achieve, while sheer idiocy has become the socially acceptable standard...🙂
I am actively fighting against that reflexive urge to judge others, primarily because we all stumble from time to time, and I truly believe our only real path forward is through mutual understanding. There is one particular song that captures this sentiment perfectly. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQ96rfEtrcU Before you jump to conclusions, hurl insults, or start pointing fingers, I’d ask one thing of you: try walking a mile in my shoes first. 🙂
