Judgement-free

484: The worst thing about judging and disapproving is how much of it I do. I can hear it going on inside my head. Even when I don’t think you can see it, even in my most private thoughts, it still comes out. By the twitch of my mouth, in a sigh, with an involuntary snigger ... even the quietest disapproval gives the game away. You can read me like a book, and this gives you the chance to turn the tables on me. In effect, I hand you the advantage on a plate. Of course I don’t reckon you CAN read me. I believe I’m able to conceal my private value judgements from you. I’m inscrutable. You can’t sense my personal criticism ... or do you notice a lot more than I think you do? The game of judging or being judged - vegans judge the ‘meatheads’, omnivores judge the judger … and so it goes on. But because I belong to such a tiny ‘plant-eating’ minority, I don’t seem to represent any sort of strength of authority. You find it easy to dismiss what I say because you have the weight of the VAST majority behind you. The effect of that can sap my self-confidence, which in turn leaves me no other choice but to use aggression on you, to bolster my sagging confidence. Value judgement is my weapon of choice, but a very blunt one it is. Surely I should realise that the only way to appear strong is to stick to the facts, follow the thread of my excellent arguments and keep out of the way of judgement-making. Why be judgemental anyway, when I know how much truth we have on our side?