Matt Legg

Summary

The author learns to stop passing judgment on others after reflecting on a noisy incident in their neighborhood.

Abstract

The article describes a night when the author was disturbed by noise and commotion in their neighborhood. Initially, the author felt annoyed and judged the people involved, but later realized they didn't know anything about the situation or the people. This realization led the author to reflect on their habit of passing judgment without understanding. The author then decided to focus on gratitude and the abundance in their life, which helped them stop judging others.

Opinions

The author believes it is easy to denounce evildoers, but difficult to understand them.
The author admits to having a habit of judging others without knowing the full context.
The author feels grateful for the abundance in their life, such as having a place to live and food to eat.
The author suggests that focusing on gratitude can help stop passing judgment on others.

How I Learned to Stop Passing Judgment on Other People

“Nothing is easier than to denounce the evildoer, nothing is more difficult than to understand him.” Fyodor Dostoevsky

It started one night, quietly at first, then the noise came blaring in.

Lights and sirens were flashing and people were yelling in the distance. I was already in bed, trying to fall asleep.

I was curious what the commotion was about, but I was scared to look. I lay in bed waiting for the noise to stop. As I stared up at the ceiling I wondered what could be going on.

I don’t live in the best part of town, homeless people and drug addicts roam the streets and petty crime is the norm. I learned a while ago to keep my head down and mind my own business.

I start to get annoyed, why can’t these people just shut up already?

My disdain for these people grew, what is wrong with them? Once I started to think of all the possible answers I realized I don’t know anything about these people.

How am I so able to pass judgment on someone I don’t know, in a situation I don’t know anything about?

My stomach dropped, how many times do I do this on a daily basis? How many times do I get mad or judge others without knowing what I’m talking about?

A lot.

Instead of continuing to get mad about the chaos outside, I decided to take I different approach.

As I lay in my warm bed with the sheets pulled up, my eyes closed, I thought about how lucky I am to be safe in my house. I thought about all the abundance I have in my life.

I’m not rich in terms of money and things, but I am rich in the sense that I have a place to live and food to eat.

Instead of being mad, I was glad.

I drifted off to sleep thinking about everything I’m grateful for.

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