Judge Not

So recently I have tried to work to be a better person and as part of this transformation I have tried to resist the temptation to gossip and judge others. Each person has their own story and their own struggles in life and who am I to tell a person what they should or should not do or even have an opinion on how they decide to live their life? I have no more insight into this life than they do and on some issues I could never image being in such a position. I am fortunate in the life that I have and honestly have enough in my life to worry about I don't need the added worry of others lives. By judging others we are not defining others but ourselves. How we treat others around us is more of a reflection of the people that we are and less about the other person. Think about it when we judge others aren't we just commenting on weaknesses and failures we see in our selves. We bring up the failures of others to deflect the failures we should be trying to focus on in our own lives. But why do we throw stones at others as if we have no problems of our own? I think we would rather see how others are lacking than truly look into in our own hearts. Its our lack of self-confidence and our unwillingness to take a good hard look at our own lives that that leads us to see others and feel as if we have a say in their lives.
In the bible Jesus tells a group of people who want to stone a woman for adultery that the person who has not committed any sins can throw the first stone by doing this Jesus was trying to show people that no one is perfect and no one has the right to judge another since we all have our failings that we need to deal with.
We see people everyday and everyday we interact with them, but do we ever really know what is going on in their lives? We are only able to see as far into their lives as they let us and in some situations that is not very far. So then how are we, who are secondhand judgers, really going to make up in our minds how we feel they should live their lives? No one has the ability to judge your own life other than you because you are the only one who has all the information. Sure others know the stories and events that go on in your lives, but none of them know the feelings and emotions you have felt behind those events. 

So my new rule of life is going to be to try to be to only say something about another person that I would say if they were standing right in front of me. If you wouldn't say it in front of them then why are you saying it behind their back?

Now I am in no way saying this is easy to do nor am I saying that I have been able to accomplish this goal yet, but it is defiantly something to strive for. I am no better than anyone else and most of the time I find it extremely hard to say what is on my mind because of insecurities I have with myself. But I guess that is the thing about judging others you judge based on insecurities you have and project onto others who don't deserve such treatment. But who am I to judge I am just an average person trying to do what is right, but knowing that sometimes I will stumble along the way. In order to be truly happy you need to let go of the hate and embrace love and compassion for others around you. Each day gives you the chance to start anew and leave the worries and bothers of yesterday behind you. If you don't move forward you will stop growing and when you stop growing how will you continue to thrive?