Is it self righteous for one to say he or she is not self righteous? Could be. I think if one is truly not self righteous then they don’t have to say it to try to convince people of it.

Not going to lie, I slip into self righteous mode sometimes. It’s awful because I can’t stand that about other people, then I get upset with myself for being a hypocrite because their self righteousness really just spotlighted my own ugly self righteousness and a vicious circle begins.

Until I bring it to a shrieking halt, because (and I hope this doesn’t come off as self righteous for me to say) I’ve figured out a solution. One that works for me, anyway. That is just plain old, brutal honesty with none other than myself.

I ask myself, “Why did that moment trigger me into being judgemental? What emotions did I feel when I was triggered? What thoughts did I have? Do I really feel like I am better than that person or am I actually feeling something related to my own past, like an uncomfortable memory or even trauma?” It may take a good, long while to sort it, but when I finally get to the root of it, I take a step back and look at the situation objectively. Then I work to heal the source within myself. There may be many sources, I just meet them head on, one at a time.

No one on this earth escapes without bruises. None of us are ever going to be glowing perfection. Judgement does nothing to help anyone regain balance, including ourselves. Acceptance and even just a little bit of understanding does help.

For those who are on the receiving end of someone else’s judgement, just know that when you are confident that your intentions are pure and unselfish, no one else’s judgement will bother you much.