Judging Others

Do you catch yourself being judgemental about others sometimes? In this post from the Winners Circle, Lou Tice suggests that we can learn something about ourselves if we examine more closely what it is we disapprove of in others.

Have you ever heard it said that the things you see and dislike in others are things you probably dislike about yourself? Today, let’s look at this idea in a bit more depth.

When you see things about other people that you don’t like, can it teach you anything about yourself? For instance, if you look at someone and think, “He’s angry, and I don’t like that,” could it be that you don’t like it when you, yourself are angry?

If you look at someone and say, “She’s really scared. Why doesn’t she just do it?” could it be there’s something you are scared about that you wish you would just “do”? Suppose you disapprove of smoking but don’t smoke yourself, so you wonder how that could be about you. Well, ask yourself, “Why do I disapprove of smoking?” Perhaps it’s because smoking is unhealthy. If you look within yourself, you may find that you, too, do things that are unhealthy which trouble you. Or perhaps you may disapprove because you consider smoking inconsiderate, and there are ways that you, too, are inconsiderate.

You see, when we judge others, and if we look within, we will usually find a similar judgement about ourselves. Now, judgements never do any good, but once you understand what you’re really doing, you can, if you choose, decide to stop.

So, the next time you disapprove of someone else, take a look within and see what you can learn about yourself.

Lou Tice
The Pacific Institute

While I don’t really think we can go through life never judging other people in any way whatsoever, I do try to follow the Biblical instruction, “Do not judge, so that you may not be judged” (Matthew 7:1) at least as much as trying not to pass judgement about things that are of no real concern to me, or just don’t matter. However, I would be the first to admit that I frequently fail.

I’d never looked at that judging in the way that Lou Tice suggests here, though. But now that I have, it makes an awful lot of sense. Often, when I’m disapproving and negative about another person, it’s about things I’m disapproving and negative about in myself — and there are many. I hope I can use this insight in a positive way, and not just as another stick to beat myself up with.

Lou Tice usually triggers some helpful thinking in me in these posts from the Winners Circle. If you would like to read more of them, do, please, consider subscribing to the daily emails yourself — it doesn’t cost anything.