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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. knew that it is human nature to judge others. In his wonderful and enlightening speech "I have a dream", he says that people should be judged by the contents of their character and not the color of their skin.

We do it every day with just about everyone we meet. We look at someone and think that they are fat, ugly, thin, intelligent, ignorant and a variety of other responses that are sent to our brain. The problem comes when we start looking down on someone for who they are or what they do.

Drug dealers selling drugs to children, child molesters, serial killers, wife beaters, child pornographers, etc... and the list goes on and on. We teach our children that these are "bad" people, and we should. Is that being judgmental? Perhaps it is, but a necessary judgmental. I teach my son that smoking is terrible and do my best to make it look horrible when we see someone smoking. I am teaching him to choose life over addiction.

However, when we look at a homeless person, do we know why they are homeless? Should we yell out our car windows for them to get a job? What stories do they have, what heartaches do they carry? We do not know them how can we pass judgment upon someone like that?

We criticize and judge people for decisions that they make for their lives or their loved ones lives and wonder what they are thinking. Until you have walked in their shoes and have had the exact same experiences that they have had....well, it is not your place to judge someone.

Live...and let live!

Learn more about this author, Renee Dawson.
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