Why Do People Judge?
Why do people judge others? Some individuals take special delight in scouring others with the back of their tongues in a nasty assault. It would be justifiable if they were paradigms of perfection but they usually are not. No human is perfect. We may try to dress perfectly, talk perfectly, walk and entertain people perfectly, but there is not a single human being that can claim perfection in every aspect of their life. So what makes people think that they have a right to judge others? Perhaps it’s built in.
Ever since people learned to cast jealous eyes over their neighbor, mankind has learned to be judgmental. In this case people judge probably because they are jealous of their neighbor’s property. Now what did the Good Book say about that? To hide their envy, the judgmental person (or people for that matter – no good to be judgmental if you don’t have anyone who’ll agree with you) will examine every available and visible nook and cranny just to have something to say against you.
Sometimes being judgmental is a person’s way of showing off. This kind of person tries to find the qualities she has on the person she is judging and criticizes for the lack of it. It’s the opposite of the first example. They may even phrase it in such a way that makes them sound concerned when in fact they are secretly gleeful over the lack. Why do people judge others this way? It makes them feel superior. Their ego gets fed when they discover others lack what they have. It’s both petty and evil. It’s actually very easy to get sucked into judging people. All you need is one person to start it and find several like-minded individuals to join the group. Pretty soon you’ll have a party of critical and hypocritical individuals. It’s rabid unless you’ve got your head screwed on straight.
Being on the receiving end of criticism or other people’s judgment is not pleasant. When people get to be in a position to judge others they feel a rush and it fuels them to practice it again and again. Labeling others is as much a reflex reaction to the treatment that they experienced. It doesn’t have to be like this. There are times when judging a person is positive, but these times are few and the person issuing the judgment needs to exhibit a special amount of discernment to be able to make it positive. Positive judgment uplifts. It can hurt, but it eventually makes the receiver resolved to become better. Casting judgment on a person is a very sensitive matter. No person should feel they have the right to put down another person.
