On Sunday night, the majority of America sat hunkered in front of their TVs; we all waited with a shared ambition for the notorious Super Bowl Halftime show. 

This year, Shakira and Jennifer Lopez were gifted the opportunity to perform, a bombshell duo. After hours and hours of practice and training, the two were finally going to show America all they had been preparing for.

However, the actual play out of the halftime show was very contrary to what many people were expecting, and thousands of people were left with distaste for the show that had just been put on. All the viewers saw was what was displayed in front of their eyes, and based on that, they judged.

Some people spoke out, voicing their approval or disapproval, and others sat sheltered in their homes, their own opinions swirling around in their heads. Regardless of their actions, everyone was guilty of judging what they saw because that is what we do—we judge.

No matter what it is—a performance, a meal, an outfit, a speech, an assessment, a place, an object—we are constantly judging everything that surrounds us, whether we notice it or not.

In our minds, every time we see, hear, touch, taste, or smell something, we immediately come up with an observation in our head, a judgment. This judgment is based on our values, societal values, and other factors that play a role in developing an opinion. 

How hard we judge things is highly based on comparisons we can make—how this food tastes compared to that food, how that girl looks compared to another girl—and I’ve found that in today’s society, judgment is something that is rarely hidden. We live in a world of extreme judgment, a judgment that can contour a life, changing someone to align with ideal, “popular” qualities.

The world has always been a judgy place; we have a certain inclination that pulls us towards an opinion on everything we encounter. But today, we are relentlessly judgy—it is impossible to be perfect.

The power of judgment has shifted into the architecture of a societal norm, the river which the majority of people fall into, floating along with the common current to shy away from rocks of judgment.

Most people in this world fear being disapproved of. They just want to “fit in,” and this judgy world has created all of these false images of “acceptable” things. We trick ourselves into thinking we want to be something different when really the fear of judgment is constantly propelling us to be more and more like the majority.

The world these days is tough. There are so many elements required for something to be deemed “ok.” We have become mercilessly judgemental towards anyone and anything we encounter, and as much as one might not notice it, this fact plays a direct role in the shape of society. 

In some areas, the judgment has been so-called broadened, allowing a few more things to be accepted. But, there’s still a common image in which each thing and person can be compared to, the accepted society features. 

We oftentimes think we are being more “accepting” people and less judgemental human beings when we view some anomaly and find it to be quite okay, but we’re still judging it by thinking exactly that. The whole “they’re different and that’s okay” statement is purely illuminating the immense pool of judgment that surrounds everything. Different from what? What you find to be normal? What you find to be acceptable? 

Judgment, yes, can be positive in ways; it forms the world we live in today. But often, our harsh judgments outshine the good ones and play a detrimental role in our lives. I know, personally, it is so easy to fall into the path of living the life you think others would accept, doing things to please the judgment of others. As much as one can deny it, there is not one person who is not impacted by judgment, especially the judgment of others.

We all desire to be accepted, and while there are people who live by the “if you don’t like me or the things I do, I don’t care” lifestyle, as I sometimes say I live by, there is still a very prominent part of you which is remote controlled by judgment—you can’t beat out judgment. It will always be there. It will always affect you in one way or another.

There is judgment in absolutely everything we do, and that is the truth. Every day, every generation, we become more and more judgy. And honestly, regardless of if we know it or not, judgments play a role in every single thing that we do.

Life is like an equation we are constantly trying to evaluate, constantly judging each and every variable to find the ideal solution we create within our minds. 

When I was younger, I found myself asking why this world was so judgy. Now, I realize that judgment is a prominent piece of this world we live in. There is no stopping the monster that judgment can be; it’s programmed into each and every one of us. Whether we mean to or not, we judge everything, and we, as human beings of society, are constantly being judged.

Judgment is a fight simply impossible to win. It will always prevail—devising our each and every action.