(Photo Credit: McKenna McCormick)
In this post, it is my goal to make a distinction between the psychological acts of judgment and opinion. To some, this might seem like a trivial endeavor, but once we dig into the depths of the distinction, it will become clear how knowing and recognizing the difference between making a judgment or forming an opinion impacts your worldview and relationships with others.
Before I start dissecting judgment, I want to make it clear that the act of judgment is necessary for many daily activities, especially things that must have a conclusion. For example, when you are driving, you must make distinct judgments about how you must move, how far away other cars are, etc. If you don’t make judgments about these things, action doesn’t take place at the rate it needs to and you would crash all the time.
There are many other examples along the same lines where you need to take immediate action and a conclusive decision must be made. But this conclusive judgment isn’t necessary for how we interpret and measure people or ourselves. Outside of an immediate snap judgment about a person’s threat level (which our animal brain does with any stranger) people don’t need to be conclusively measured. On the contrary, it is healthy to form opinions about someone though because opinion is open to change as more information is gained.
Firmly judging puts people into a pool of stagnancy and delusion whereas intelligible opinion places that relationship in a sphere of growth. Not all opinions will be positive and I’m not proposing that we give everyone the benefit of the doubt. What I am proposing is a cognitive state where we notice how we are judging someone and find the spaces where those judgments can be turned into opinions, where they then can grow and become more dynamic. By recognizing where we have measured x and put a definitive label on it, we can then re-analyze its contents with fresh eyes and information.
We don’t need to travel across the globe in order to experience new things or culture, we need to see our surroundings with fresh eyes. There is a universe of uniqueness woven into each individual, but we are conditioned to judge each other based on a variety of factors. It is so limiting and takes away from the unique individuals that occupy our nation.
There is no denying we are in a time of division and political unease. I think everyone has the innate right to form their own beliefs, but the issue comes when we start judging someone as inferior or unintelligent for not holding the same views, even if the other person’s view does warrant a stamp of absurdness.
Just as an engine has different parts to propel a car, our society needs contrasting opinions to create a dynamic end. But there must be oil to lubricate the process, namely our ability to form intelligent opinions, loosen judgments, and continually build healthier relationships.
The act of judgment immediately shuts out any room for understanding. However, forming an opinion and sharing it respectfully allows both parties to get a glimpse into another worldview. This openness doesn’t mean you are adopting this other person’s views, but rather, it creates an actual conversation which leads to collaborative insight. It’s not about having conclusive resolutions to our problems, but a better framework to move forward from.
