Passing Judgement

Most of us would deny passing judgement on people when worded that way.  But, honestly everyday we make decisions.  These decisions can be made in an instant without much thought, while sometimes they are the result of much debate.  Ask yourself, though, what do you base your decisions on?  Isn't it really some form of judgement call that makes you choose one path over another?

When we think of the phrase "passing judgement", no doubt it conjures up a defensive mechanism that says we have the right to live in a manner we choose.  If other people don't like that, then that's their issue.  But, sometimes, we pass judgement on others without even really being aware of it.

Take for instance, a screaming child in a mall, do we pass a glance to the parents that communicates control that child - that's judgement.  Do we look twice at someone walking down the street dressed different than the norm - that's judgement.  And maybe these "passing judgments" are harmless, but sometimes our view of things has the ability to fracture relationships or destroy them all together.

Family members who may not agree with our way of living may convince themselves they're reaching out in love to stop you from a certain course.  And it honestly may be that they're doing so for your benefit, but we might not always see it that way.

So how can we use this in our writing?

Have a judgmental character - maybe someone who has a bit of prejudice laced into their personality because of their upbringing.

Have a character's relationship with their family falter because they don't agree with a path they've chosen.

These are just a couple of small ways.  What about you?  How have you used this in your writing?