Everyone Has Their Own Story

Why, as a human race, do we constantly judge others? Why do we make assumptions about people based on appearance, or demographics, or their actions, or even rumors? Just because someone looks a certain way, dresses a certain way, executes different actions to us, acts a certain way, and lives their life differently to us, doesn't mean that we have the right to unfairly categorize them. Just because someone has tattoos doesn't make them an axe murderer, a member of a bikie gang, or a thug. Just because someone is living homeless on the street doesn't make them a drug addict, an alcoholic, or a lazy bum who is too pathetic to get a job. Just because someone doesn't mingle with the crowd, have many friends, or speak very much, doesn't mean they are unsociable. Just because a woman dresses in skimpy clothing and short dresses, doesn't make her a prostitute. Just because a guy maintains a clean and tidy house, and listens to pop music, doesn't make him gay. Just because a girl acts like a tomboy and has short hair, doesn't mean she is a lesbian. We just seem to love stereotyping people, automatically categorizing them as being a certain type of person, and we do so because society has twisted our mind to believe so. Perhaps there have been individuals in the past, who have proven to be in a certain category, made evident by their previous actions, but it certainly doesn't mean that any other people with the same, or similar, characteristics and appearance, are in that category also. Sure, sometimes people are, but many people also are not, so we should never judge or make assumptions about others. The saddest part to all of this is that many people even express their opinions verbally, ridiculing and mocking those who they label in certain categories. It's these type of verbal attacks, be it face to face or on social media, that can easily destroy someone mentally. This is nothing more than pure bullying and harassment, and no one deserves to be treated in such a way.

As much as we choose to judge others, and make assumptions about them, people are doing exactly the same about us. Guaranteed, many times we are the topic of conversation, whether it is someone having a gossip session over coffee, be it online, be it in the workplace, or wherever. As you would well know yourself, there are many personal beliefs, opinions, feelings, emotions, and secrets, that we feel more comfortable to keep to ourselves. We don't feel like sharing such things with others, even with our friends and loved ones, because we are afraid of being judged, ridiculed and even laughed at. We do it to protect ourselves, yet the funny thing is, we seem to have no problem creating assumptions and judgements about others, knowing full well how it would feel to be on the receiving end. You see, behind everyone's behavior, characteristics, and actions, there quite often is a story. There is more often than not, a story behind why people do what they do, appear how they appear, believe what they believe, and act how they act. Undoubtedly, it has been something from their past, through experiences or personal education, that has led them to be the person they are, to act how they act, to appear how they appear, to believe what they believe, and where they find themselves today. More commonly, it's not as a result of a positive experience, but rather a time of pain, adversity, hardship, hurt, rejection, and sorrow. From such times and experiences, we are led into a totally different direction, sometimes one in which we have no other choice, leading us to be somewhere we don't want to be, or to be doing something we don't want to do, which ends up increasing our exposure to judgement.

Just because people tell us something about them, or they hide from telling us something, doesn't grant us reason to judge people. There may be a legitimate and understandable reason behind their appearance, their behavior, their decisions, their beliefs, and so on. Above all though, we should never criticize, ridicule, and mock others either, because behind every person, there lies a story. A story of pain, hurt, and suffering, that most people will choose to hide away from others, just to keep up appearances, and avoid opening themselves up. Everyone has their own story, and we know full well of our pain points, and what has hurt us in the past, or maybe continues to hurt us today. We wouldn't liked to be judged and categorized by others, especially when they don't know the truth about us, so why should it be acceptable to us that we should choose to judge and criticize others, without knowing them or their story either? Rather than passing judgement about others, let's instead direct our attention to trying to help others, support others, listen to others, uplift others, and give to others. Let's cease degrading ourselves to being someone who judges others, but instead, elevate ourselves to kindness, compassion, generosity, and love.

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