The Art of Watching (a Personal Essay)

I like to spend my time watching people, where they go and what they do, the places they think are secret and private. The challenge of watching is know how to not judge them. Deep inside everyone, we all have the urge to judge and make comments, but the true art is not doing anything and just watching. Every where we turn there is judgment; whether from movies or books or role models we as people, are always being told who’s the best and what’s not in style. With watching I learn about people and life.

Every year I go to the county fair, whether or not I’d like to go, and I find all sorts of people to watch. People wander with friends and family laughing together, fighting, screaming, shouting, crying, and acting all sorts of ways. Through judging we block all access to these views. Once there was a woman with 5 children screaming around her as she franticly tried to shush them; the people walking past gave whispers of why she shouldn’t have so many children, of how young children in this day and age are reckless, and other terrible things that would make anyone cry. These people were wrong. The lovely young woman in question was named Christina; she was a straight A student and was taking care of her 2 cousins and 3 nieces and nephews, while their parents wandered around. Stories much like Christina’s happen every day probably many times each minute.

By assuming we are giving others the permission to judge ourselves in the same manner. What would others think of us? Bad things? Good? By watching I make myself the better person.