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There’s a whole lot of difference in making judgements and the concept of “Judgementalism.” Making judgements is how we live, and make our way through the world, judgements about how to do an assignment, where to invest our money, about people . But Judgementalism is the concept when someone is quick to jump to harsh conclusions, without even knowing the person, thing etc, and without viewing the full picture.

It’s basically saying that this person is too this and that, without even knowing the person. For example, we are often quick to make judgements about a person based on their appearance, how they talk or even their body language. For example, walking past a person we think, that person must be too uptight, or making quick judgements about their sexuality based on their body language.

Although these might seem like basic things that we do in everyday life for fun or jest, it might be bordering on into judgementalism. In judgementalism, it becomes a habit to constantly demean others, looking down on them, without having empathy or understanding whatsoever, which often makes for a very harsh and toxic environment.

And being judgemental isn’t all bad, when our inner judgemental self is in check, it leads to us making amazing and clear decisions to foster growth in life. Some people also use judgementalism as a defence mechanism, to feel good about themselves, self-righteousness, avoiding our own faults, and protecting ourselves from being hurt by others.

We cannot live without making judgements, its how we make decisions in life, from big to small. The question is how do we not let it turn into judgementalism. The solution is in the definition itself of the world, which is by practising empathy and understanding other people’s perspectives. Sometimes it also helps to go into things with an open mind, and not too many preconceived notions. A big part of not letting judgementalism turn into a negative environment is by not looking at life in black and whites, or having a rigid point of view.

“The highest form of intelligence is the ability to observe without evaluating.”
– Jiddu Krishnamurti