Jokes on Judging

I think one of the biggest things in life that everyone must overcome is judgement. There is constant judgement everywhere, and it is what we use to differentiate from the bad, and the good. In terms of stereotypes it is dangerous, and it can lead to people believing someone to be something they are not. However, I feel as if certain commonalities like a shady figure in a hood in all black at night lurking still is an indication as someone dangerous even if they aren't. It's things like that, that we can't help but judge out of fear. In another way we are being judged is in our system itself. In academics, in job interviews, and in choosing a mate, we are all judged. In academics we are judged by our intelligence and our ability to learn, or retain knowledge. Job interviews we are judged on how we present ourselves, and our experience and credentials that will make us a valuable new asset. Then in choosing a mate, both by appearance and character are we broken down by another person, and determined whether or not our flaws can be outweighed by everything else we can offer.

So the thing that makes handing in assignments, especially Writer's Craft assignments or art projects so difficult is that you put your emotions and what you believe on a medium for people to judge. It's true that the  comments from the teachers and critics are helpful and may help you develop something better but it may also become discouraging.

I also think that the reason that some of our world seems so congruent, that everyone surrenders to fads and trends is because a lot of times people are just afraid to be different in fear of being judged. It's a lot easier to abide by what everyone else is doing, especially when you know that it is acceptable and the judgement isn't bad. Whereas dressing differently, believing in something someone else doesn't, writing about an unpopular topic with an unpopular opinion, or a piece of art that makes a statement has a risk in it, and most people are too afraid to take it. Us as humans seem to crave some sort of reassurance from the opinion of others. Sometimes it may be for the best, but sometimes it is just ducking down and getting lost in the crowd.

There's this video on youtube by the vlogbrothers that includes John Green, a best selling author. They basically have a channel of videos that touch upon a variety of different topics and sometimes they are so funny or silly that for a moment you forget he's a bestselling author and can write such beautiful things because of how ridiculous he acts. Anyways, the video basically was the inspiration of this post and is my absolute favorite. I feel as if it bluntly states what we all deep inside know.

Han Van