“Be Curious, Not Judgemental”
Thoughts on Understanding Others
Sometimes I can get pretty weary. I open Instagram, or the news, or whatever the media of choice is, and my feed feels like a bombardment of anything from the Capital being overtaken to the My Pillow guy giving political advice at the White House. I get on Facebook and witness family or friends whom I love writing some truly ugly thoughts from behind their screen.
The inauguration is today, but between COVID and security, there’s not a crowd. COVID continues to beat it’s own record with no immediate end in sight.
It’s really easy to fall into the trap. The trap of cynicism and sorrow. Falling into frustration towards those who think differently or judgement towards those who believe differently. I feel like a lot of the negative, the unrest, can be boiled down to people getting weary and falling into cynicism and sorrow, frustration and judgement. Falling into the trap.
Walt Whitman said “Be curious, not judgemental.” I wish I could say I learned that because I’m well-cultured in poetry, but I actually came across it from one of my new favorite shows, Ted Lasso. The lovable, optimistic Coach Ted uses this quote when explaining why others seem to underestimate him and his nature.
You see, he came to the conclusion that all those people who were negative weren’t curious anymore. They thought they had everything figured out and would judge everything and everyone. But if they were curious, they would have asked questions. Instead of becoming frustrated or judgemental, they would ask questions. They would inhabit the desire to understand others. They would treat others with love and respect instead of judgement and belittlement.
You don’t need me to tell you how life can feel because you know: sometimes there doesn’t feel like there’s a lot of curiosity out there. There usually feels like more judgement than curiosity. You also don’t need me to tell you how the bible views judgement. We know the classic Matt. 7:1, “Judge not, lest you be judged.” James even makes a lengthy distinction between us and the One who is allowed to judge.
What I want to encourage in lieu of judgement is curiosity. Curiosity towards those around you and those you meet. Curiosity as to who they are, where they’re from, what their passions are, why they believe what they do, and how you can love them. Be curious, not for the sake of questioning, but for the prospect of connecting with others more wholly.
The world is in desperate need of some curiosity.
Be curious, not judgemental.
