Judge Dredd

In 2009, I've tried to work on being less judgmental. I've spent a lot of my life judging others and painting people with large paintbrushes. This was fine with me until I was put in a situation where someone I cared about was (in my opinion) judgmental of me. It struck me when I pleaded that just because I lied, I'm not a liar. Just because I cheated, I'm not a cheater. I then saw the situation for what it was. God wanted to humble me. Up until that point, I had many discussions with people about my very "black-and-white" perspective on life. You were either right or wrong. You were either good or bad. It worked for me because my mind had created a world where I was always right and I was always good. When I went through that situation, for the first time in my life, I questioned whether or not I was a good person. I questioned everything about myself. Am I a liar? Am I no good for anyone? Am I really that selfish? For a few months I beat myself up. I became a recluse. I didn't want to go anywhere. I didn't want to meet any new people. I felt that I didn't deserve to be seen. I felt I didn't even deserve to talk to my family for a time. "They're good people, I don't deserve to associate myself with them." Not until I realized that nobody is perfect could I look myself in the mirror. I had to learn how to forgive myself. I had to acknowledge the many shades of gray that colour the world. Now, when someone does something that I think is wrong, I don't quickly jump on my soapbox and condemn. I don't even mentally jump to a conclusion about their character. I simply let it be. It isn't my duty to correct or admonish them. Change is an internal process not an external one. My only job is to focus on MY path, work on MY faults, and in doing that I hope to attract others who do the same and inspire those who do not.

"When we see men of contrary character, we should turn inward and examine ourselves."
- Confucius