Should we judge a person from 140 characters?

Compassion. Not judging. Grounded. Illuminating.

These are a few of the words we concluded with following an impactful session. It's a privilege to be among bright, talented women and being guided by our amazing mentors, James and Zita.

The topic of discussion was surrounding a recent tweet by a barrister, which triggered a huge response from barristers as well as members of the public. Unfortunately, the tweet painted the profession in a negative light. Some of us assumed that his opinion was reflective of the 16,500 people that are in the bar. It highlighted a deeper issue that has become prevalent in our society - a lack of tolerance. We have become too quick to react and too slow to listen, we allow our feelings to dictate our actions.

Consequently, James and Zita undertook a powerful session in which they asked us questions such as:

• What was your first reaction?

• How did you judge him?

• Have you ever met this person?

• What does this person have in common with you?

These questions forced all of us to ask questions we wouldn't ordinarily ask. We had to confront our initial judgement and assess how much we allowed our feelings to dictate our actions. We were also asked questions concerning judgements we made about the bar and judgements we made about his chambers as a consequence of his words. The majority of us learnt that we had allowed our judgement of this individual to taint our perspective of the bar and his chambers, who hold different views. Consequently, we judged a wide number of people based on the action of one. When we see things online, we pass a quick judgment. We fail to take the time to understand what the person is trying to communicate. It doesn't mean we have to agree with the person, but it opens a channel for a healthy dialogue.

Here is a summary of what I learnt from our conversation:

1. Firstly, in a diverse world, it is illogical to expect everyone to think the same. People will always have differing opinion.

2. Secondly, people will be unkind. It is important to remember that you've also been unkind at one point and you grew from it consequently you should give people a chance to also learn.

3. Thirdly, you hold the power to control what you believe.

I hope this piece encourages you to use moments of disagreement as an avenue for a conversation to take place.

I hope you all have a lovely week ahead of you.

All the best,

Beatrice