Judgment

I was running on a trail with my dogs today and got to thinking about judgment. Judge not lest ye be judged was the motto right? Well we are all judged every single day. Our friends, families, co-workers, even total strangers judge us on every little aspect of our lives and we do it to them. It’s natural, no matter how much you fight it you will still do it. You may not be trying to “keep up with the Jones’” but when something bad happens to someone you don’t like do you feel sorry for them? When Lindsay Lohan goes back to jail/rehab does a sick little part of you say at least that’s not me? I do. I was talking with someone about nutrition and exercise and I thought how much harder it would be for me to do if I weren’t in the military. Being in the infantry, I’ve been told to consider myself an athlete, and as such must stay in good physical condition to perform the job I love. I am also in a position of authority and must set a good example. Without a compelling reason would I still do the amount of exercise that I do? Most likely running would be walking and weight lifting would be non-existent. I still think I would have the same philosophy of trying to strengthen my mind, body, and spirit a little bit every day. Back to nutrition for a second, Nashville and it’s surrounding areas have some of the highest rates of obese children in America and its climbing. I think quite a bit about personal responsibility but what about these children who have been given too many choices too soon without being taught how to make the right ones. It’s easy to blame parents but doesn’t it take a village? What about the school that offers a 10 year old kid the choice between meatloaf and pizza or between green beans and ice cream; most kids get the pizza and ice cream. What about keeping kids physically active? Education is the foundation of everything we become. It all starts in that setting. If children are only given healthy choices in grammar and middle school then given some freedom in high school it only stands to reason that they will make better choices as adults. Teen suicide rates are skyrocketing, and for no other reason than others passing judgment. I don’t like you so I post something on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, MySpace, or some other social media site that sends you into a depression spiral, and then I find out that I had an effect on your psyche and I attack again. Without proper guidance and education judgment can turn to harassment, bullying, homicide, or suicide. That doesn’t mean that you should chastise yourself every time you’re glad that you’re not Lindsay Lohan. It just means that while it may be something that makes you feel better about who you are, if we’re not careful it can also be something that makes people not like who you are. I’ll admit I have a complex about young obese teens and pre-teens that have Type II Diabetes and are chowing down on a candy bar. It’s something I have to work on in my quest to be a better person. That doesn’t mean that I won’t keep trying to educate people about the importance of nutrition and the impact it can have on our country’s economy and health system. It just means I’ll try to be more understanding of the decision making processes that get people to where they are. I’ll still be glad I’m not Lindsay (and you should too) and I’ll still be jealous if someone gets promoted ahead of me. I’m just going to try and not gripe so much.