Can you smell it too? You know, that opinionated, oh-so-unfancy, party-foul scent of wrongful judgement, that gets passed by a "know-it-all", then fumes up the place, pollutes the air, clogs our nostrils, and challenges our ability to stay cool. And heck with the cool - because sometimes those stinkers foul up the place so bad - that you just have to send back a reactionary, yet equally opinionated, oh-so-unfancy, "well-take-that-you-know-it-all" counter judgement!
So much for the high road, right?!
Maybe its just me, but it seems like lately (let's blame it on the economy, of course), that more people than usual are stinking up the place, by inappropriately judging this and judging that, and making judgements with little appreciation to context, reality and facts (let alone the other side; 'cause there's always two) - so that these judgements more often than not are ignorant, and quite possibly, wrong ... or at a minimum ... suspect, superficial, inadequate, and challengeable. How's that for judgement!
No doubt, we are all "programmed" to a degree - and have our opinions based on so much stuff, from so many places. And no doubt that opinions are like belly buttons: we all have them. Be that as it may, some folks are so misappropriately hard-wired coded, that they need a serious reboot and/or a complete systems overhaul when it comes to their judgements.
Now, to help "judgementalists" junkies kick their bad habits, and jump-start their rehab - here's a smattering of some pretty good quotes, from some pretty smart people, with some pretty good thoughts with regard to judging and being judged.
Use them as you see fit; they're on the house.
"How dreadful it is when the right judge judges wrong." - Sophocles
"Hear the other side." - Augustine
"For to err in opinion or judgement, is human." - Plutarch
"How much easier it is to be critical than correct." - Disraeli
"You will be damned if you do and damned if you don't" - Dow
"Principles, opinions and assumptions - may and must be flexible." - Lincoln
"New people and their opinions are always suspected and usually opposed without any other reason but because they are not already common." - Locke
"Nothing astonishes men so much as common sense and plain dealing." - Emerson
"He who knows only his side of the case, knows little of that." - Mill
"To doubt everything or to believe in everything are two equally convenient solutions; both dispense with the necessity to think and reflect." - Poincare
"He who can, does. He who can't, takes issue with he who can." - Shaw
"Nobody likes the man who brings bad news." - Sophocles
"Criticism comes easier then craftsmanship." - Zeuxis
Admittedly, those quotes are pretty heady, and somewhat heavy - but still absolutely, positively, nodoubtaboutitly, spot on. So, to lighten things up just a little bit - let's end with a joke, and a fitting one at that. (BTW: I'm pretty sure that my priest, Father Kevin, thinks its funny and fitting too; you'll see why that matters).
A smelly drunken man, sat down on a subway next to a priest. The man's tie was stained, his face was plastered with red lipstick, and a half-empty bottle of gin was sticking out of his torn coat pocket. He opened his newspaper and began reading. After a few minutes the man turned to the priest and asked, 'Say Father, what causes arthritis?' The priest replies, 'My Son, it's caused by loose living, being with cheap women, too much alcohol, contempt for your fellow man, and lack of a bath.' The drunk muttered in response, 'Well, I'll be damned,' Then returned to his paper. The priest, thinking about what he had said, nudged the man, and apologized. 'I'm very sorry. I didn't mean to come on so strong. How long have you had arthritis?' The drunk answered, 'I don't have it, Father. I was just reading here that the Pope does.'
Understood, Rationalized, Objective Judging is Good.
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