How judgemental are you? Take the quiz and find out (and be honest!)
1. Your friend has re-decorated their house by painting their walls mustard yellow and lime green. You think…
- They were definitely smoking something, those colours are awful.
- Well, this is interesting, definitely something different, but hey, if they like it, that’s their choice.
2. You see a guy with lots of piercings and tattoos all over his body. You…
- Express your disapproval on what he has done to his body; how dare he defile it in such a manner?
- Ask him the reason/story behind his art.
3. Your friend tells you that he has started seeing a girl of a different race/culture/religion. You…
- Tell him to get out of it immediately – we’re meant to stick to our own kind.
- Are excited for him and support him in every way possible.
4. You see a rather large person walking down the street. You think…
- How could anyone ‘let themselves go’ so much?
- There’s a person walking down the street.
5. A very pretty, yet ‘ditsy’, girl gets the job you were hoping to get. You…
- Suspect foul play; there is just no way she got it on her own.
- Are disappointed but move on and try elsewhere.
If you chose the first option as your answer for any of the questions, you are inclined to being judgemental. However, there’s not much to be worried about because everyone does it and the extent to which you pass judgement is the real issue here…
So often, we’ll condemn the actions of others without knowing the full story behind them; we’ll disapprove of their decisions, before understanding their reasoning. Disagree? Well, let’s do another little test. Check out the picture below….
What were some of your first thoughts?
Let’s be honest, once you realized that this was a boy wearing pink shoes, it was hard to keep the negativity at bay. Thoughts such as, “What kind of mother would let their child wear pink shoes and then take a photo of it?” or “That’s what’s wrong with the world – this is why we have confused people!” or even “That boy’s life has been ruined forever!”, probably went wild in your head and before you knew it, you had already passed judgement without any understanding as to why…
Embarrassed? That’s ok, I’m just as guilty as the next person; in fact it seems to occur quite “naturally” with me for some strange reason. Regardless, it’s not ok; it’s not alright to criticize someone’s choices because they are different from yours, or because it’s not what you would have done – we’re all different and we deal with and face life’s challenges differently. However, people’s lives are at stake, and our words (and actions) have the power to build and/or destroy. So unless you’ve experienced it, it’s probably best that you keep your comments and opinions to yourself until you’ve got some kind of understanding about it.
The challenge -: Take hold of your thoughts; watch your words and just stop being judgemental.
Pulse Show 😉