If You Can’t Fully Release Judgment, Do It Lightly to Stay Free
If you observe your mind, you’ll notice it rushes to judgment too quickly. Often, these judgments feel absolute, as if all evidence has been considered. Yet, because the evidence is partial, they fluctuate constantly.
In elementary school, I excelled in math and judged myself as smart. But a class is a small sample. In an Olympic math class, I struggled and labeled myself stupid. Later, I learned others invested effort outside class, while I relied on listening to the teacher.
My judgment ignored effort, focusing only on results. In college in the US, I found my math skills impressive again. But the American education system de-emphasizes math—a different context.
Why judge a complex quality with limited data, ignoring vast context? Judgment requires a metric system, but this system is arbitrary, like a reference coordinate.
Instead of judging, consider life as moments. You might have a stupid moment or a brilliant one. If you must judge, do so lightly, knowing it’s a fleeting metric.
Your past judgments, based on incomplete evidence, shaped temporary, flawed conclusions. Limiting beliefs stem from judgments built on tiny samples. A scientist would dismiss such evidence as insufficient for an experiment.
Cats are agile, catching objects mid-air—a brilliant moment. Yet, they can crash into glass walls—a stupid moment. Unlike us, cats don’t dwell. After hitting glass, they pause, then stride gracefully, unbothered. Even if a cat judged itself, it’d be brief: “That was a dumb moment.” Then it moves on, unburdened.
Moderate your judgments. Embrace moments as they are, and free yourself from the weight of incomplete conclusions.