Being judgmental can be harmful

2026-07-10

I used to be very judgmental when I was younger, before I turned 23, to be exact. At that time, I just felt like people who couldn’t make it in life were either weak/lazy or dumb, and I didn’t want to be like them, that’s part of the reason why I worked my ass off during high school. And I took pride in myself for being the mysterious brainiac in class, with a minimum amount of information exposure to others.

However, once I got admitted to a top grad school, the old rules no longer applied to me. As people outperformed me in every possible way, I felt like a loser in my own eyes, which led to severe anxiety and moderate depression that completely took the life out of me. I could barely get out of bed at one point in life. After talking to several therapists, seeing multiple psychiatrists & taking some medications, I felt better about myself, and tried my best not to judge others & myself.

I started to realize how arrogant I had been. People are not objects, their value can’t be determined by a small aspect of their lives (grades, looks, background, etc.), and people’s value isn’t comparable. Also, I don’t know their past lives, so who am I to judge? One’s judgments only reflect what kind of person they are and what they value; their judgments can’t tell you anything about the person being judged.

Being non-judgmental of other people frees me from the fear of being judged by others, it’s a very liberating experience, gave me the courage to be my most authentic self. Give it a try, and you’ll see a big difference in your life.