I don't like being judged. I never have and I've always found it hard to not judge others myself. I try, but that doesn't always happen, because we are human. We judge. I judge. I try not to, but sometimes I stand around in a line and judge the person in front of me. Then I think to myself, "What situation could they be in that I know nothing about?" I stop judging. Because their situation isn't much better than mine; it could be worse for all I know.

Those old, taught habits...

It's not easy to not judge someone. Because our natural instinct is to judge, because for centuries that is what humans did. We judged each other based on wealth and property. There were nobles and there were the commoners. There was a clear line between them and no one thought to cross it because of what waited for them on the other side. There was always judgement cast around. The nobles thought the commoners were closer to dirt than humans, and the commoners thought the nobles were, at best, cruel but held all the power.

In those days, wealth decided where you stood and you were judged by others according to your wealth. The less you had, the more you were ignored and the more you had the more people flocked to you. This way of thinking became part of society; judging others based on first glance became a part of society. Children that grew up in noble houses were taught to never associate with those that looked to be from the common streets. Commoners' children grew up taught that the nobles were not like them and would never be.

...that eventually became our new instincts.

Thanks to these old ways, humans now judge each other based on if someone is better off than the person standing next to them. It's become a natural thing for us to walk through a store, glance at a person, and judge them even slightly. Perhaps we judge them in kind ways, or perhaps we judge them in ways that would make kindhearted people cringe and even roll in their graves. But that is what we do as humans; we try to make ourselves feel better by putting others in places that our lower than our own.

I have done this and I regret it now; I still do it sometimes, when I'm not thinking or I'm frustrated. There are times when I wish I didn't, but I know it's just what is now labeled as human nature. But it's not natural, it's just the way we were taught centuries ago that became a part of the way society runs today.

What should you do then, to change this old habit now an instinct?

I'm not saying you are a horrible person for judging the person next to you. It's now natural to us and we can only help it if we remind ourselves constantly that it's not supposed to be. We can't always do that. So, the best advice I can give is that when you next judge someone near you, think of these questions: "What could they be going through right now? Could it be something like what I am? Could it be worse than anything I've ever experienced?"

Then, stop judging them. Respect them. Even if they are the richest people in the world, respect them because you don't know what they are going through. What they've gone through. Even if they are the cruelest person you've ever met, remember that something had to have made them that way.

I'm working on it too, so don't feel bad when you judge them. Just stop yourself when you realize you are.