Living in today's world is truly something else. You can stumble upon amazing tattoo artists to get inked. You can dye your hair bright blue, or even full-on rainbow colors, if you'd like. People can generally come out as whatever sexuality they would like without as much of a conundrum. So, why are we (yes, including myself) still so quick to judge others?

I grew up in a small town in the armpit of Illinois where everyone knew each other. So much gossip about who slept with whom, and who works where, has been poured into my eardrums the past few years. Overall, most of the gossip is negative. And, honestly, I've subtweeted and made indirect statuses about this gossip. I'm definitely not perfect when it comes to judging. Ever since elementary school, we're raised on judgmental generations hating people because they're "different." Is there a true way to work around this?

I was recently told that one of my classmates ended up working for a local nightclub as a dancer. To me, I see no issue with that at all. But some of my acquaintances see otherwise, calling her a whore, slut and the list goes on. These people don't know why she's on the pole. Maybe she just needs extra money to pay the rent this month. Perhaps she's just very confident with her body and would like to present it on stage. Regardless, good for her. She shouldn't be shamed for it, either way. She is not harming anyone and what she is doing is 100 percent legal.

I also graduated with a few others who have already been married and divorced. It's not my business, nor is it yours, to judge these people for breaking up. People are so quick to judge when it's not their place. Again, maybe the spouse was abusive. Or the spouse had some type of unhealthy addiction. Hear the news and move on, people. You don't need to go out of your way to bash others' lives.

Instead, we could talk about more enlightening news. Talk about how cute your neighbor's baby is. Talk about how beautiful your sister's artwork is. Compliment that girl on her outfit. Tell that guy you like his tattoo. By judging others, you're feeding into this already hate-filled world. If someone is doing something you don't approve of, ask yourself this: Is this affecting me negatively? If yes, address the person. Maybe you'll come to a positive consensus. Otherwise, move on, or try to be a little more open-minded.

Regardless on the situation, we need to really start taking into account that peoples' lives are all different. We all have different situations, stories and surroundings. Let's brighten this darkening world by building people up versus tearing them down.