I enjoyed your story and perspective. From my experience, for “success” as a student, and probably in life in general, self discipline is a fundamental behavior we all need to master. I’m not sure how or why I have been able to do so, but it has been and remains my “protective” behavior. For those who can’t, for one reason or another, I think it behooves us, as individuals and as community, to consider their situation and attempt to provide alternatives. I am not surprised that psychologists and sociologists can speak at length about the idea of “situational constraints”. I am always surprised at governments failure to grasp that reality sufficiently to take appropriate action. Turning their back on homelessness, or worse yet facilitating and perpetuating that it (sometimes I think just for the political posturing it provides them) is their greatest failure…..but that’s a whole other story.

Your thought line that being judgmental, and of fighting against “judgmentalness” reminded me of lines from a poem written in 1895 by Mary T. Lathrop titled at that time “Judge Softly”. It is apparent that some 125 years later we too often still suffer from the same “judgmentalness” yet today. I felt it spoke to you message, at least in part. Such behavior is nothing new.

Here’s an excerpt;

Just walk a mile in his moccasins
Before you abuse, criticize and accuse.
If just for one hour, you could find a way
To see through his eyes, instead of your own muse.

I believe you’d be surprised to see
That you’ve been blind and narrow minded, even unkind.
There are people on reservations and in the ghettos
Who have so little hope, and too much worry on their minds.