Why are we so judgmental?

I was coming out of elevator at my work place some days back and I saw a person standing there in the lobby. The person was short and stout and almost looked like a football. This thought brought the smile to my face and while I was busy with my imagination, I saw the person looking back at me with the why-are-you-smiling stare. I do not know if the person knew that I was smiling at him or not but it sure did make me feel bad about myself.

I started wondering if it was appropriate of me to do what I did. I was seeing the person the first time, but that didn’t stop me from making fun of his physical appearances. Just a little observation later I realized that not only him but every single person I meet and see I was forming opinions about. From “he seems like a nice person” to “he seems a little arrogant” to “may be he is not so arrogant after all!” my mind kept switching from one conclusion to another. A friend of mine would be in my good-book for sometime and in not-so-good-book the other time. I keep playing this cat and the mouse game with every single person I am associated with, and to my surprise, even with the people I have known all my life.

My mind is constantly judging every single action of the person, while it is waiting to update the opinion. This led me to wonder, if the person really changes, or the only thing that changes is my opinion?

I am certain I haven’t stopped judging, but at least now I know I am judgmental!

Whose opinion matters?

I was talking to a friend of mine the other day regarding a meditation program I was interested to attend. My friend was advising me to take it easy but I was quite determined to attend it, and I did. A month or two later for another such meditation program the same friend of mine started persuading me to attend the program where as this time I wasn't willing to.

My friend's advice to me has changed this time within a short period of time and that left me puzzled. I wasn't sure if I should have listened to him the first time and missed the event or I should listen to him now and attend the program. If I listen to him now, what is the guarantee that his opinion wouldn't change again in future.

Our opinions are nothing but a direct outcome of our past experiences and current state of mind. With each passing moment we learn new things and as a result our intelligence gets updated. With the updated intelligence and experience our opinions are bound to change as well.

If there is every possibility for a person's opinion to change, what is the basis for one to rely on some one else's opinions? And if our own opinions are bound to change as well should we rely even on ourselves?