On Judgement

This entry is taken from a private blog I used to have.

This came up in interesting conversation I had with someone:

Me:I like to surprise ppl. What I REALLY like doing, is breaking stereotypes and biases.

Her:So do I...

Me:yeah, actually, I see as kind of a personal battle against the world.

Her:hehe

Me:Even though I admit that I do have stereotypes and biases, I TRY not to base my judgements or first impressions of ppl on them. And I want to try and teach the world that (or less ambitiously, teach the ppl I meet that)

Her:I know I judge people, but everyone does... I am so used to being judged though, that I learned to be more careful

Me:I don't care if ppl judge me, in fact, I welcome it. BUT!!! the thing is, I want them to base their judgements on FACTS, and NOT what they assume or hear about me. It's fine to judge me after they KNOW me. Then if you hate me or like me, as long as you have a good reason to, then I don't mind. People always say it's bad to be judgemental. I think the exact opposite... AS LONG AS you base your judgement on facts and NOT just hearsay, assumptions and biases.

Her:I try not to judge people, but it always happens... you cannot stop it.It is a natural reaction.

Me:yes, but then you take your natural reaction, and train yourself to push it aside so that you don't base a permanent judgement on that natural reaction.

Wouldn't this world be a better place if people ACTUALLY based judgements of others on facts instead of just biases and stereotypes? I'm not just talking about racial biases and stereotypes. I also mean people who hear things about you and judge you before they even get a chance to know you. Or else people who've "seen you around" and form an opinion about you. I know it's natural to form an opinion. But what we all SHOULD do, is to NOT let that UNINFORMED opinion cement in our heads. This goes for first impressions too. One of my pet peeves is how people think they know another person, or form a "definite" opinion of that person, based on a first meeting. First off, what if that person is having a bad day, or is feeling goofy that day, or is feeling a tad ornery? See what I mean? What if for just that one moment you meet them, they are just a bit off from who they are? It happens. This even is true for the opposite condition, what if that person is feeling a bit extra nice, or is being fake when they meet you? Only over a series of meetings, will you see that they aren't always that nice. I mean, people can't be fake forever, true colours do shine through eventually. Secondly, personalities and psyches aren't developed in a moment, so how can you hope to decipher someone over a meeting or two? Like I said in my conversation, I see it as a personal battle to make try and make this world a better place, care to join me?

Today's Quote:

"At least you know what love is", someone said to me.

"Yeah, but to know what love is, I had to find out what pain is," I
replied.