"Be curious, not judgmental" - Walt Whitman.

I'm so unbelievably tired of judgmental people. I'm tired of the criticisms, the stereotypes, and people shoving their own opinions and beliefs onto my own. I'm tired of seeing it done to others, and I'm tired of it being done to me. This world is full of enough hate and negativity as it is, so why add to it?

I've spent countless nights trying to figure out why and how people can be so mean. I respect the fact that people have their opinions, but when these opinions become orders or threats it's gone too far. Ever heard the saying: if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all? Laugh all you want, but this is one of the truest things I've ever heard. So what if you don't like something that someone else is doing and you believe that it's absolutely wrong. So what? That is YOUR belief. YOUR opinion. Not anyone else's. There is no universal set of rights and wrongs. Just because your opinion of right differs from someone's else's, doesn't mean it’s ok to pull down that person and make them feel terrible about themselves. What did they ever do to you?

I’m so unbelievably tired of people not being able to present themselves a certain way.

So what if someone has tattoos? Or rainbow colored hair? No, they are not unprofessional or bad people. So what if a girl has short hair? No, that doesn’t mean she’s a lesbian. Maybe she likes her hair like that. And even is she was a lesbian, so what? So what if a guy has long hair? Maybe he likes his hair like that. So what if I want to wear sweatpants every day? No, I’m not lazy. Maybe I just like to be comfortable. So what if a girl is a body builder? That doesn’t make her any less a girl than the next one. So what if a girl has muscles? I bet she’s a lot stronger than you, inside and out. So a guy has a bunch of piercings and suddenly he’s associated with being tough or violent. Well, maybe he’s the sweetest guy next door. So what if a girl isn’t feminine? So what if a guy is a little too feminine? No, that doesn’t make him gay. And even if he was, does it matter?

I’m so unbelievably tired of stereotypes.

So I’m blonde so I must be stupid. So I’m a teenager so I must be rebellious and a partier. So I’m rich and therefore I must be a snob. So I’m a white girl and therefore I’m basic and must drink Starbucks on the daily. So I’m skinny and therefore I don’t eat. I’m quiet so I must be stuck-up. I’m a guy that’s a dancer and so I must be gay. The list goes on and on. Sometimes these might be true but sometimes they couldn’t be further from the truth.

I’m so unbelievably tired of people not being able to love who they want to love.

So you see a bi-racial couple walking down the street. Oh, the horror. So just because you think a black person being in love with a white person is wrong, that suddenly makes it ok to criticize that person who made the decision to be happy? No. Skin color is just skin color. It doesn’t define who I am, my personality, my ability to love, or anything else. So you see two guys holding hands or two girls holding hands walking down the street. Just because you think that being gay is wrong, doesn’t give you the right to criticize that person who also made the decision to be happy. Love is freaking love. End of story.

I’m so unbelievably tired of trying to figure out why people are so judgmental.

What are you getting out of making people feel bad? Judgments do no good for this world. Sure, you absolutely have a right to your opinion. And sure, you have a right to voice that opinion. But you have a choice right now. You have a choice to keep that opinion to yourself if it is going to hurt another individual. Maybe writing this will make some people angry. But maybe it will be a wake-up call. This world is full of close-minded people who won’t open their minds and their hearts to what is different. And that is so unbelievably sad.

So maybe you mean well when you are judging others. Maybe you just want what’s best for them but really it’s only what’s best for you. They know what is best for them and you don’t like it. Oh well. Let people be happy. I should be able to wear what I want to wear without being ridiculed and degraded. I should be able to date anyone I want too as long as they treat me right and they make me happy. Regardless of their race or gender.

What’s even worse is when people judge those who they haven’t even met. They see someone walking in a store or they see someone’s picture and automatically assume all these different things about them. And why? You don’t know them or their life. You don’t know what they are going through or have been through. You don’t know so don’t assume.

So throw stereotypes out the window. Because judging a person doesn’t define who they are, it only defines who you are. Just because I am different from you, does not make me a bad person. So open your mind and open your heart to something new and stop judging others.

Until you have walked in my shoes, and felt what I have felt, you have no say.