Judgement is a means to protect ourselves. To not let ourselves be confronted with the uncomfortable feelings and potentially needed actions related to it. It provides a safe distance to whatever we condemn in the other.
But here’s the catch: what we judge in someone else is often a reflection of what we disdain within ourselves. The envy, disgust, or anger we feel toward others may reveal what we are unwilling to acknowledge within ourselves.
I have come to realize that I have a habit of passing judgement on attractive women for “showing off” their beauty, labeling them as divas or even as promiscuous. Why? It’s because I envy them – their stunning bodies and their fearless confidence to own and celebrate their allure. It’s my own inner diva I’m suppressing, afraid to let her come alive and shine.
What is it that causes us envy, disgust or anger? What is it that we are not allowing ourselves? What is it touching?
In allowing ourselves to feel and understand these emotions, we get inspiration into what we truly seek and what we may be inadvertently denying ourselves.
“When you judge others, you do not define them, you define yourself.” – Earl Nightingale