Do you sometimes feel that others have treated you unfairly? If it comforts you: You are sure to get it too!
No question about it: the mental abilities that are available to us and which distinguish us are remarkable and unique. We can plan our future, consider what might have happened in the past if, and share with others about our incredibly rich and complex world of emotions. Properties such as creativity, mental flexibility and of course our notorious ability to abstract allow us to perceive and shape our world and our lives in an extraordinary way.
But out of sheer enthusiasm, we should not forget that our mental capacities are limited and we cannot trust unconditionally in our mental strength. The climate problem is a good example here: We know the consequences, but the majority of us behave in a destructive manner. And even in smaller everyday things we often act unreasonably: We get upset even though it doesn't change anything, waste time at Insta even though it makes us unhappy, we get drunk even though we know that our skulls will be buzzing the next day.
The shortcuts of our brain
One of the reasons for this is probably that our brain saves energy where it can. For example, instead of shaping every moment of our life individually and consciously, we call up one behavior pattern after the other and live largely according to habits. Instead of considering the long-term consequences of our actions, we prioritize our short-term needs and ignore everything else. And instead of trying to understand our environment and comprehend it holistically, we evaluate it and classify it as quickly and finally as possible. Or as the psychoanalyst Carl Gustav Jung once put it:
- "Thinking is difficult, that's why most people judge."
In everyday life we often don't even notice it, but in fact we are judging almost all the time. "A is right, B is wrong", "My opinion is right, yours is wrong", "Curves are beautiful, but dents are ugly", "X is bad, Y is good". By judging and classifying things, we can tick them off and no longer have to deal with them. Without us there would be neither “good” nor “bad”, neither “right” nor “wrong” – such values are human inventions that help us to orient ourselves. By judging, we simplify the world and become capable of acting and making decisions. In principle, we have no other choice, because we could hardly endure chaos, openness and lack of clarity in the long term. However, we should be aware that this clever "energy saving mechanism" makes us one thing in the first place: Self-righteous.
Our judgments are not the truth
In contrast to a judge, who is brought before witnesses to reach a verdict, shows different perspectives and presents evidence, we can usually only include a tiny fraction of the information that is available and relevant for a comprehensive judgment in our judgments. With our one-sided, egocentric worldview and our very limited wealth of knowledge and experience, we are underqualified as judges in most situations – and therefore our judgments are often "unfair" or incomplete. If we assume recklessness of others, the main driver can actually be excessive demands, what we dismiss as ignorance can be self-protection, fear or even calculation. We constantly pigeonhole other people. But that doesn't mean they belong there.
Of course, nobody wants to be treated or judged unfairly, just as nobody wants to judge or treat others unfairly. But both will happen again and again, every day and to each and every one of us. Without judgment, we would lose ourselves and hang in the air. The only thing we have left to go through the world at least a little more fairly is to admit to ourselves that we are judging, although we do not know everything by far – and as openly as we can, to prove ourselves wrong to let.