People watching from the comfort of a chair on the apartment balcony, overlooking the sea and the promenade, filled with couples, families, and singles. Like a God above them all, I observed each one as they passed below, unaware that I had eyes on them, judging everything about them.
There goes the fat ones, probably from England! And look at that skinny couple who could do with a good meal inside them. Look at that attractive woman. What does she see in him? How did he manage to pull her. He’s probably got money. Look at those children in that family. They’ve obviously taken them out of school, deciding the school fine is less than the holiday saving.
Why are they so rowdy over there? Can’t they make less noise? Aw look a couple hand in hand, how nice. Obviously not married yet. Although, is that two men?
How come many of these attractive women make an effort to dress smart, while others are happy in their t-shirts and tattoos. And men not wearing long trousers for their evening trip to the restaurant. Haven’t they any etiquette? Look at her. That’s a Marks & Spencers outfit she’s wearing. I know, because Jane has it too. And that man’s got a shirt on from Temu. I’d seen it while shopping for myself and thought it was too gregarious, I was right too. Look how short that woman’s dress is. You can see everything. doesn’t her old man care that all the men are oggling her? Now look at those two elderly couple, walking with two hiking sticks each. The prom is flat and not what those sticks are for. Added weight to carry.
My observations continued for thirty minutes, maybe longer. Some would say I was ‘in the moment’ viewing the world and the people. But was I seeing it all clearly, or was I tainting everything and everyone with my clouded views, my opinions, my perceptives? That’s not what being zen is all about. Would it not have been more zen-like to merely observe without judgement? Surely just experiencing the moments, observing without judgement, and learning from the sights would be more aligned to a spiritual person. Who, after all, am I to judge what is and isn’t correct.
Anyone else could sit in this chair, with the same panorama and the same people, yet not be filling their minds with such critique as me. For that choice, they would be wiser and more zen-like. It’s human nature to judge others based on first appearances. We all do it. But those initial conceptions don’t tell the many individual stories that each of those people are living through. We would need to be walking in their shoes, living their life with their circumstances to truly be able to start to understand.
But you see, after thirty minutes of observation, something in my mind told me the error in my thinking. Stop with the judging others and simply observe them. Where possible, learn something from them, every single one of them. Wear their shoes, even if only for the moments it takes to think it. And that surely is some progress on my spiritual path.
