No time for judgements
One local youth talks about the pain that comes with judging others.
Miguel Macome writes:
We have all, at least a few times, judged someone based on one small part of their magnificence. Often we use external factors, like appearance and visible levels of wealth.
People are judged on a daily basis, whether it is at work, school or anywhere in public. It has become a norm to look at people and feel the urge to judge them without knowing anything about them, or the circumstances they are in.
I am here as a man with a mission – to remove these blurry lenses the world has encouraged us to look through. Judging those who have, as well as those that don’t appear to have the things that give you worldly status.
When I was a young boy I was overweight. People commented and judged me. They made me feel that my dreams to be athletic would never happen. Five years ago, I stepped into my football club to join my friend Wandile Billings, who dazzled me with his football skills.
I realised one day this was no ordinary sports club. The bonds of brotherhood, the levels of encouragement and the focus on excellence were high. The identity was that of our club name – a Growing Champion. Our coaches encouraged us to grow, become unstuck, look for the gold in each other and overcome our biases and prejudices.
We went on to win the league that year and I realised not only did judging people break them down, it broke us down. It deceives us into believing we are less than we are and others are more than the price tag on their shoes. My team didn’t have the resources or the provisions of the wealthy and established clubs in our league, yet we beat them, again and again. Why? Because instead of focusing on the things the world measures, we looked at the pricelessness of each other.
I learnt to look deeper into people’s hearts instead of just at their worldly status and came to realise that every human has something amazing in them, which they can bring to the world, and when they do, we all win. In fact, recently I felt that winning feeling when a leading global football scout commented to my Growing Champions coach that my ability to accelerate as a runner was outstanding and seldom seen.
I’ve made it my business to meet and learn from people who bring hope and light to the world, people who help and encourage others, even with the little that they have. Gratitude is something we should all embrace, even for the little that we have. The amazing thing is, when you start to say thank you for your blessings you realise you have more to be grateful for than you ever knew. Take the time to find the gold in each other, only then will you truly realise you have priceless wealth. A wealth that you can share everyday.
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