Judgement-free

2053:

The worst thing about judging and disapproving is how much we do it. Even when we don’t think it’s possible, others can tell what we’re thinking. Even private thoughts can be sensed somehow. A twitch of the mouth, a sigh or a snigger gives the game away. We can be read like a book. We think we’re concealing our private value judgements, believing we’re more inscrutable than we really are. We don’t take account of the fact that most people are hypersensitive to even a hint of personal criticism. That’s why criticising rarely works out the way we hope it will.

We all get involved with this game of judging or being judged. As Animal Rights advocates, we judge the ‘meatheads’. Omnivores judge vegans, and so it goes on. But because we ‘plant-eaters’ are in such a tiny minority we don’t have a sense of authority, so we easily lose self-confidence. We often use aggression to bolster our confidence. For the minority to attempt to persuade the majority out of their confidence is as hard as pushing over a brick wall. The only way to win authority is to keep our persuasions judgement-free. After all, we do have truth on our side.