I will never understand the motives people have behind judging others. There are so many forms of judging that go on such as in terms of, physical appearance, personality traits, characteristics, likes, dislikes, academics, and anything else you can really think of. People are always judging others and it’s disgusting that this is the norm in our everyday lives. We live in a world where judgment is the norm and if you do not succumb to these social pressures, then you become the “outcasts” of the norm. It's like, if you're not what others want you to be, they become angry. Everyone acts as if there is a certain way to live, but at the same time, they don't know a thing or two about how they should live their own life. And of course, if you don’t follow, you end up becoming the topic at hand. I just don’t understand it and never have. Who are you to judge someone you don’t know? Who are you to judge someone you DO know? Who are you to judge at all?

We all come from different backgrounds, different beliefs, different values, and different morals. If what I believe in differs from what you believe in, I’m not going to tell you my beliefs are better than yours. I’m not going to tell you to change your beliefs. I’m not going to influence you whatsoever, but what I will do is simply tell you that I will not alter my beliefs for the sake of your satisfaction. I'm not gonna change my views because they're different from yours. Just because my views aren’t similar to yours, doesn't mean I'm any less than you. It doesn’t matter to me that our beliefs are different, but it does matter to me when you begin to judge me because of it. Judge me all you want, just know I will stay true to who I am because I live my life for me, and not for you.

It wasn’t until college that I realized beliefs and morals actually play a big role in the kinda person you’re viewed as to others. People do take note of the way you view things and as sad as it sounds, judge you for it. I never really considered how much of an impact certain perspectives makes when meeting people or learning more about someone. An example of this is constantly being asked about religion. Yes, I'm a Christian and yes I do go to church, and if you don't like that or find that weird in any way whatsoever, take it up with someone who cares, because I surely don't. And that's just in terms of religion, the list goes on and on. I never really thought of differences as a big deal, not until people made it a big deal. I always thought it was cool having friends of different backgrounds because you learn so much from them, but when it gets to a point where you’re constantly being judged for your differences, then it’s time to make a change in the kind of people you associate yourself with.

I’ve never seen so many people judge others based on things such as religion, morals, beliefs, values, and even family background. It’s like, people always have something to say regardless of how ignorant or naive they may sound. At the end of the day, I guess it really just comes down to those who are educated vs. those who are not. I mean, if you're educated on the topics you find yourself constantly talking about, you'd realize how dumb you actually sound, right?

Maybe it’s just the people I’ve been surrounded by, who thankfully I have distanced myself from, but from what I’ve seen; people get way too much out of judging others. A lot of the times, the person judging is the person with the most insecurities, which would make you think they wouldn’t go out of their way to insult someone else. But the thing is, to the people who are judging, you don’t know their story so stop pretending like you do. Stop acting like you’re better than everyone and start appreciating those you don’t know for their differences. For all you know, they may play an important role in your life a few years from now.

It makes me sad to think that people love talking about others, especially when they don’t know them. It's like, how would you feel if someone was doing it to you? How would you feel knowing someone you do not know at all, or have never even associated yourself with, was turning to their friend insulting the clothes that you spent every penny on trying to afford, or making fun of the scar across your face that you got when defending yourself from domestic violence? You don’t know their story, so what gives you the right to act like you do?

Think before you speak. There are too many innocent people in this world that have been brought down by people they know or may not know simply because they do not think before they speak. Respect those who respect you. Respect is important because if you're surrounding yourself with people who don't respect your values, it'll be a matter of time before you lose self-respect. Also, stay true to yourself because, at the end of the day, your opinion on YOUR life is the only one that matters, and don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise.