Few days back I realised that the sunglasses I have been wearing have been with me for the past 10 years. I had bought them just before my trip to doha and its been 10 yrs for trip to doha and that is how realisation dawned on me !!... I started making judgements about me. I do preserve things. I value money . I am a responsible person and so on... And then I realised that there are other instances in my life which disprove all of the judgements I just made about my self. I thought let me test my judgements with my friends and family. and so I posted on whats app groups and social media. And to my surprise I got even more amazing judgements and opinions not just about me but what I should doing about it.
judgements about me : borderline OCD , responsible by birth , old fashioned , minimalist, I stay indoors don't venture out in the sun
doubts /further Analysis : how many sunglasses do I own ? how much time were these in the closet as they look new
advice : sell it on olx , give it to charity , good advertisement for polaroid , time to upgrade my fashion sense, keep it for another 10 years and they become antique
comparison : You are responsible but I am not.
Social Media instigates others to 'React' . Form opinions and Judgements quickly about a person or an event. 'Like' , 'Love' , 'Comment' are all opinions.
When I was growing up the connect was with classmates, locality friends, cousins ,teachers etc and their opinions and judgements have shaped me in my growing years. Now through social media not only am I friend's friend but also I am connected with most of the people I ever met in life. And they will 'comment' , pass a judgement on my statements. So the volume of opinions and judgements has just amplified in my life.
So how in this crazy opinion obsessed new world do I see myself and accept myself ?
I feel this calls for a case for self-awareness. I realised that because I know myself and have spent a good amount of time on self-reflection I can choose to let the opinions and judgement affect me, If I see value in what the person is saying I will choose to learn from it. Now a days I choose to provide an opinion or a judgement only when asked for. Sometimes with close friends I take the liberty but give the choice to my friends to listen or not.This choice has developed over a period of time with practice and awareness of my thoughts and other people's thoughts.
I wish the practice of self-awareness and contemplative practices are taught in school so that we become more aware of our own actions and act only when needed.
With the statement of my sunglasses being 10 year old , I got so many opinions , judgements and advice which I never asked for. I feel if I live and speak from self awareness then I will not hurt another with my opinions and judgement and will not be hurt by others opinions about me and there will be a silence where we all see each other as we are.There will be peace !!.
This reminds me of Rumi's quote which is a befitting ending to this post.
“Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and right doing there is a field.I'll meet you there.”
I am willing to meet you there . Are you ?
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