Sarah Palin

What is up with society? I am utterly baffled at the fact that people choose not to see that her choices are based on her families well-being. Finally, someone who is living what they believe and she is perpetually crucified for her choices. Talk show after talk show reminding us over and over again about her comments on abortion. She had the baby! I think that's pretty commendable for a woman with such a full life already, to make a lifelong commitment like that. Not that people who choose to have abortions are wrong either. People make choices based on their circumstances and how dare anyone judge anyone for a decision they have made. No one knows what each individual has come through that compels them to make the choices they make. What is right for one person may not be right for another and that makes no one right or wrong, it just makes it right for the individual.
The media twists and exaggerates peoples lives and we all know this. All they wanted to do from the beginning was dive into her family, her children, her marriage and find something wrong with it all. How sick and twisted is that? How can anyone form an opinion based on what they see on camera?  It has been said and seen multiple times that she has a lot of support from her extended family. The way I keep seeing it is her family is number one. Isn't that the way it should be? Sure she has her flaws, but who doesn't? Look in the mirror, I'm sure you'll see plenty. Does that make you material to be thrown into the public eye and be ripped apart? And just because you choose not to be on camera doesn't mean you're flawless. Their are still lives that are affected by you and your choices but yet you dismiss them because you're not on T.V. What makes their humanness different than yours? We all have family dysfunction and plenty of personal defects. Not one better or worse than the other. What would happen if the media started digging for all the good that people have done in their lives and displaying it for all to see? I wonder. It's unfortunate that our society thrives on such negativity and utter disrespect for human beings. Yes, they have made choices that throw them into the public for everyone to know their business, but that makes them no less human. They deserve some privacy too, but for some reason the country feels entitled to know all about people they see on the screen. There is some shit that is just none of our business and then we want to judge people when they are being interviewed and get caught off guard by a question that they know if they don't answer correctly, will be talked about, judged and hung out to dry. So they fumble for words as to not disappoint the people and then it's played repeatedly so that it can be picked apart and analyze every little thing about what they said and how they said it and the expression on their face when they said it...Pa-fucking-thetic I say!

Passing Judgment

Judgment:
1. the ability to judge, make a decision, or form an opinion objectively, authoritatively, and wisely, esp. in matters affecting action; good sense; discretion
2. the forming of an opinion, estimate, notion, or conclusion, as from circumstances presented to the mind

As humans we need to judge to a degree. It helps us to know if we are in a dangerous situation or around people that may affect our mental state or well being. It can be used to better our selves and those around us. It can be used to save our lives. It has many useful purposes. But when do we take it too far?
We all have a past and we have all done things that others may not approve of, but just because they don't approve doesn't mean it wasn't right for you at the time.
For instance, we may pass judgment on someone who uses drugs. But we have no idea what brought them there and what it's like to be them.
People perceive situations as their instincts tell them to and they internalize it.
Let's say we have siblings of the same gender and close in age. They grew up in an abusive environment. A parent is screaming and yelling at them about what horrible children they are. One can perceive and internalize this and agree with the parent believing they are useless and worthless and they grow up to be a drug addict. The other can perceive and internalize this and completely disagree with this parent and believe that the parent is the one who is useless and worthless because of this behavior and they grow up to be a human rights attorney for abused and neglected children.
Does the drug addict deserve to be condemned and the attorney praised? Absolutely not!
Some people need permission to be okay. Some people need to actually learn how to perceive things in a healthy, non-destructive way.

Judgment comes from a place of fear, fear of the unknown, sometimes healthy, sometimes not. It's good to remember that no one is better than or less than you, they have just come from a different place and they are surviving the best they know how. Judgment is used to separate, this is what keeps us from compassion.

When children are small and they are asked what they want to be when they grow up, the answer is not, a drug addict, or a prostitute, or a lifer at San Quentin. When people become these types of character, it didn't happen over night. There were red flags as they were growing up and if we could use our judgment in a productive, helpful way, many of us would be better off. But instead, some turn their heads, make a judgment and spread gossip about the situation. If you are looking down on someone, be sure it's because your reaching your hand down to help them up.