Judgments

It has indeed been a while since any updates were made to this blog and I do apologize to all our loyal readers who had been looking for new entries. Well, things have been a little busy as the economy is now back on track and the business world has heated up; hence we all have to work. However, despite all the hustle of work, I have never ceased to ponder various questions that bother us.

To start off my first entry of the year, I have been pondering a philosophical question in my life; i.e. the question of judging other people. I am a little perplexed by some of the comments that have come to my attention lately as I speak to people. In an earlier entry in this blog, I had discussed how treatment was different for me whether people viewed me as a Canadian or a local and depending on how I speak, again, judgments are made about who I am. However, what has perplexed me is the philosophical question of "Do you really know me?" This, to me, is the ultimate question that I have been pondering even though I know that judgments are unavoidable as this is part of the human psyche as we try to categorize actions/information so that it is understandable to us.

However, this does not necessarily mean that our judgments are correct. For example, take the following situation as an example:

• While at work, you observe a colleague who seems to be relaxed, surfs the internet on a regular basis, doesn't seem to spend the full 8 hours at work but completes his work and deliverables with no issues. What do you make of this observation? Skiving, unmotivated employee, employee who doesn't care, or wrong job for the person?; or
• A person who is qualified in a professional capacity such as as an engineer, lawyer, or doctor, but chooses a different career path in life? Is this person a failure?
• What if the person in the second scenario has chosen the path as a personal choice or lifestyle but may not be able to openly explain the decision?

Well, the above scenarios are all common scenarios that we have faced and I am sure many have made snap judgments when we came across such situations; I know I am no exception. However, if we think carefully, do we know the full story or is the judgment based solely on our values and belief system that may not reflect the truth?

Take for example the first scenario. As a boss, you would automatically look at the situation and jump on the fact that the employee was not a good employee; he/she was not being challenged enough and is utilizing company time to perform personal tasks and this employee needs more work (this, though, may be a simplistic view but you get the meaning). However, let's take a look at the bigger picture here. I would say that mere observation would not be sufficient. After all, hasn't the employee fulfilled his/her part of the bargain as an employee?; bear in mind, the employee is able to complete their tasks as per what you had set out for them in line with the value that you have paid the employee, i.e. salary. As such, what did the employee do wrong? Perhaps the question would be whether you, as the boss, have fulfilled your end of your bargain in furthering the employee, perhaps you have not provided sufficient leadership for the employee? Again, we look at the situation only through our own lenses without further investigation. Similarly, in the second scenario, if we were raised with certain beliefs that such professionals have spent a large investment in obtaining their qualifications and it would be a waste to throw it all away, we would similarly view their actions negatively and even develop explanations to justify their actions just so we can understand it. Again, we do not investigate the situation.

So what am I saying? When we look at a situation, things are never always what they seem. We need to open ourselves up to the fact that the world is ever-changing with different situations. Everyone is different and we all have a story. However, we cannot use judgments or our own beliefs to necessarily assess another as our judgments can be flawed and myopic; sometimes we also judge so that we may make sense of what we see (more for ourselves) instead of making the sense of the information to understand the situation. This is a common flaw for all of us; when we speak or look at others, we tend to critique them based on our values instead of assessing the situation based on the "big picture".

Yes, some people do state that they base their judgments on the facts but again, I would ask whose facts are those. Aren't all facts interpreted through your own beliefs and a judgment made? Don't we still look through lenses because facts alone don't mean anything just like $100 to a poor man is a huge amount but to a billionaire, it is nothing. In such a case, whose judgment is correct even though we have assessed the same facts; the fact is that we looked at the same fact of $100!

As such, I am proposing to all that we need to assess ourselves before we place judgment upon others; don't jump to conclusions in what you see unless you are able to detach yourself from your own values. Until then, my suggestion would be to hear people out, enjoy their story and allow their experiences to enhance your understanding of the world (as it is a big place), and take them as who they are. We are all different with different aspirations and it is through this understanding and enhancement that we all grow in our lives.

This issue has got me thinking....and I hope that you enjoy my first post of the year!