I simply love watching people as they go about their everyday lives. When I am on vacation, watching the locals and the other tourists is fascinating, even around my new home seeing how people interact is delightful.
My lovely lady friend in Japan was sharing live video of people walking along the street outside her hotel. How much fun we had making up stories about what they were doing, where they were going, where they might have been! Every story, of course, reflected what was in our own minds. We provided the context for the stories. This in turn lead us to discussing how easily we make judgments about others based upon what we would be doing or thinking in a similar situation.
Do you see where this is going? The judgments with which we inflict others are not judgments about them, they are judgements about ourselves projected upon others. If we look at someone and say “they think they are all that and a bag of chips,” we are not really talking about them, we are projecting our own thoughts about ourselves, what we believe, what we fear believing, how we see ourselves.
With this thought in mind; when you think you are about to express judgment about another person may I ask you to do this….. make a heart shape with your two hands by touching the tips of your index fingers and thumbs together then place that heart over your lips as a reminder to yourself to say only loving things. After all, what you are saying you are saying about yourself!
