Not so long ago,
we used to be little kids. Beyond caring and full of reckless abandon, we used
to drift along in life like a little twig in a mighty river. Not thinking twice
before blurting out anything on earth, our shenanigans were outmatched only by
our unrestrained passion. Then one fine day, we grew up. We started minding
what we said, when we said and where we said. We started appearing ‘proper’ in
front of guests and on our Facebook walls. What changed? A lot of things, of
course. But what is that one primary thing which made us change every aspect of
our public behaviour? We started judging each other. Habit of judgement based on
first impressions is formed on the basis of the biases and prejudices that are
formed over the years through learning (or a lack of learning). We need to
undergo a lot of experiences which shape our thinking, which the children inherently
lack.
A more apt
statement would be that things change when we become aware that others are
judging us; that others are watching us intently with an oblique eye, tracing
our every move, waiting to pounce upon us with an Ahaaa in their minds, judging
and labelling us in an instant, for ever. This singular awareness inherently
changes everything we do. From here on, all our actions filter through the
thick lens of judgement, are tempered and controlled, lest people call us wild
libertines, unpolished and rustic. I would not think it an exaggeration to call
this the single biggest switch in human behaviour, the doorstep leading us from
childhood to adulthood.