Too much judgment can be dangerous.
It feels like we live in a world today where rushing to judge the behaviors and actions of others without all the facts has become the norm. It is especially convenient when the person in question thinks or looks differently than we do. America is still a place where you’re innocent until proven guilty, unless something has changed in our system of jurisprudence that I am unaware of. Of course, some people do hateful and terrible things and should be held accountable for their actions; however, behavior exists across a continuum, and context does matter. There are two sides to every story, and rarely is one person’s recollection 100% accurate and another’s 100% wrong. This is why we have a legal system based on Due process.
Winning elections is important, but not at any cost. Thinking differently shouldn’t be a zero-sum game. Diversity of thought is critical to our democracy. Our country was built by flawed people who debated great ideas and found common ground to rally around. People you disagree with aren’t always the enemy. It can be risky to believe that you, along with your like-minded friends and colleagues, dominate the market with clever ideas or morality. Extreme thinking can bend in either direction. Ideologues on the far left and far right have done a lot of damage throughout the history of humankind.
Sanctimony is also an unattractive trait, regardless of who the author is. Should someone closed off to other points of view have free rein to architect the future for others? Why would someone who feels their opinion hasn’t been considered fairly be inclined to listen to your perspective? If they feel you’ll attack at the slightest hint of vulnerability, then don’t be surprised if they withhold information or attack first. Furthermore, no one likes to feel inferior to others. There is just as much emotional energy in the universe pulling us apart as there is pulling us together. Tribalism often lurks beneath the surface of our shared humanity, and there are individuals waiting to exploit this dynamic to their own advantage.
Many beliefs I held firmly in other periods of my life haven’t always stood the test of time (or at least my experience of it). The circumstances of my life have altered my perspective. Experience is both intellectually and emotionally humbling. There have been people I’ve looked up to who have let me down. There have been others I’ve harshly judged who have later surprised me in positive ways. I have assumed things that weren’t true. I’ve overestimated my ability to read others and predict their behavior. I am often proven wrong, uninformed, or too emotional to be rational in my thinking. I am also influenced by the media and people I respect to think in certain ways without really thinking it through. In short, I am human and a work in progress, as we all are. None of us possesses omniscience. We should always be in search of the highest version of the truth, regardless of the circumstances.
My concern is that a knee-jerk mob mentality is starting to form in what we take for granted as our free and open society, and it is quick to lash out at every opportunity. We want to punish others based on separate conclusions drawn from our own, often loosely related personal experiences. It’s as if we want to get even with people we don’t know just because we feel they represent something bad that happened to someone we know (or ourselves), whether there is a true connection or not. As long as there is a whiff of similarity, it is sufficient grounds to shift into overdrive and act aggressively. It’s also easy to dispense our version of justice based on strong opinions rather than uncovering the facts and testing conclusions. It’s much harder to step back, reflect, and weigh the different versions of the events in question while also removing our individual biases. Our Founding Fathers rightfully knew this and did everything possible to protect us from ourselves. I hope their work continues to stand the test of time, but we, as citizens, must be mindful when we stray from the path.
Before you rush to judgment, please do your best to consider the facts and respect different interpretations of evidence and points of view.