Taste is personal and subject to change.
We all love chocolate, don’t we? And yet, there are folks who definitely prefer vanilla ice cream. As the old saying goes: “There’s no accounting for taste.”
What our preferences are may be incomprehensible to others. And we likely may never understand some of the choices others make. It’s well summed up in the Latin saying: “De gustibus non est disputandum.” Or, in matters of taste there can be no disputes.
And yet, we as humans tend to get judgmental about other’s tastes and decisions. We can wrap our viewpoints in the armor of sensibility and morality or legislate to prevent others from indulging in what we feel are poor or wrong choices. We may cite the common good as justification for our disapproval.
But unless the choices of others affect us adversely personally and deeply or harm others who have no say in the matter, we have no reason to involve ourselves in their decisions. Love and acceptance ask us to abstain from judgment.
We may also wish to recognize that tastes do change. As a child, I loved orange sherbet. Not anymore. As an adult, I would pass on eating a dish unless I was starving. My palate and sensibilities have altered. It’s helpful for us to remember that this variability is true of others as well.
Today’s message advises me to stay in my lane and pay attention to what I need and want. Involving myself in the choices of others is unlikely to have a happy result.
Please reflect and share. How do you avoid judging others’ tastes and decisions?