Judgement

“Who are you to judge the life I live? I know I'm not perfect and I don't live to be. But, before you start pointing fingers, make sure your hands are clean.”

-Bob Marley

It really annoys me when people judge and form opinions without any knowledge of the situation. I have done my fair share of judging others and I don't claim that I am perfect, but I would like to think that I am a good enough person to realize that sometimes there is more to something than what meets the eye. I may not always understand the reasoning, but it doesn't mean that I can't express empathy and concern towards a person and/or their situation.

I can't say that I am an expert regarding subjects such as autism and bipolar disorder, but I do know enough to realize that it doesn't make those suffering with such mental illnesses any less of people. I wouldn't try and tell someone living with bipolar disorder how to live their life or how to "cure" their episodes because it isn't in my place to do so. I can be aware of a situation, expression concern and offer my listening skills, but I wouldn't pretend like I was a professional on the subject matter. Regardless of what it is we are dealing with, we all have our own battles to fight and unless we have the exact same experience of the person/situation that we are evaluating, then we have no place to try and assert our opinion.

I vow to:

• Be more accepting and refrain from judgment until I have gained a complete understanding of the situation
• Be a better listener to everyone