By admin 
Sometimes I wonder why I have to have an opinion about almost everything.
I only have to step outside, see someone walking by, and there it is….a thought, a little comment, a question, or a judgment. About the way someone dresses, walks, talks, or behaves.
Nobody asked for my opinion, and the person probably has no idea that they’ve just been reviewed by a complete stranger! (By the way…probably this person has also an opinion on me 
)
The funny thing is, most of the time we don’t even notice it happening. The mind simply starts talking.
But why?
Perhaps it’s because we live in a world of contrasts. Beautiful and ugly, right and wrong, pleasant and unpleasant. We recognize differences, compare things, and almost automatically give them meaning.
Take something as simple as a cup. We know it’s a cup because we’ve learned what a cup is and what it’s used for. But suppose I look at it and think it’s ugly, while someone else thinks it’s beautiful.
Has anything about the cup changed?
Of course not. We’ve simply given it two different meanings, each based on our own experiences, memories, and preferences.
And here’s the interesting part. We often forget that we’re the ones giving those meanings. We begin to treat our personal interpretation as if it were a fact.
The cup is no longer just a cup. It’s an ugly cup. And we’re quite convinced we’re right!
Now imagine how often we do exactly the same thing with other people.
We see someone behaving differently from us, and before we know it, we’ve already decided what kind of person they are. Not because we actually know them, but because of the meaning we’ve given to what we see.
Sometimes I tell myself that I should stop judging people.
And there it is again!
Now I’m judging myself for judging someone else. The mind has found another problem to solve, and another opportunity to tell me what I should or shouldn’t be doing.
Quite a clever little system, isn’t it?
Someone once said to me, laughing, that life would be rather boring if we stopped having opinions about everything.
And perhaps there’s something to that. Our thoughts, preferences, and reactions certainly add a lot of entertainment to everyday life.
But would life really become boring without all those judgments? Or might it become even more interesting if we could simply experience things without immediately deciding what they mean?
Maybe the problem isn’t that judgments appear. Perhaps that’s simply what the mind does in this world of opposites.
The real question is whether we have to believe every thought that passes through our minds.
What if we could allow a judgment to arise without fighting it, defending it, or feeling guilty about it?..and instead..just notice it, perhaps smile at it, and let it be.
No need to become a better person. No need to force ourselves to think differently. And certainly no need to judge ourselves for not being wonderfully nonjudgmental!
Maybe freedom isn’t about living without contrasts, opinions, or judgments. Maybe it’s about recognizing that the meaning we give to something is not necessarily the truth about it.
And perhaps, when we no longer feel the need to believe every opinion we have, we finally have a little more room to simply enjoy what is happening.
Including a person walking by in a bright yellow coat.
Who, by the way, may absolutely love that coat!
With love and light,
G.