It seems obligatory to write something about world cup during this time. I don’t watch it in the previous years, but after seeing the Argentinian Harmony, I was absolutely hooked. I enjoyed the individual skills, the team spirit, and how all those blend together.

I used to find it hilarious when football fans criticise the game they are watching. It doesn’t matter whether they are supporting the team, but they always have something to say. “Bad referee”, “should have been a penalty!” “why didn’t they send out Messi” “i would have sent that ball straight into the goal..” Most of these comments come from those who don’t even play football!

I used to think that these people ought to just go out and play football, and appreciate the game for what it really is, rather than doing verbal (and sometimes physical!) abuse among themselves. I said “I used to” because i realised I’ve been doing the same in a different realm - movies.

I didn’t use to say someone’s acting is good, but I do like to watch movies. I like to see different stories, and how it’s portrayed through the actors. I always wonder why the so called “critics” always judge the acting of certain actresses using words like “bland”, “uninspiring” etc when all i focused on was the visual and storytelling, until one day, i caught myself doing the same as the critics do… I thought Iain McKellen was good in Da Vinci Code.

So why do we do it? Why judge when we don’t even know it? Are we just conditioned to judge people regardless of our own abilities? Are we just conditioned to make judgement, period?

I wish there is a simple answer to this, but I just find that we are quick to judge someone unconciously. Football (or movies) only brings out the more obvious judgements. The subtle ones are the ones similar to when we meet someone for the first time. We judge the person’s physical appearance, or the way they talk, the way they act etc. And yet when it comes to ourselves, we reserve judgement. The judgement process seems to come to a screeching halt.

Where did the brakes come from? What are we afraid of that makes us afraid to do a critical analysis of ourselves?

I believe it’s a wall of defense built up from previous experience. Judging ourselves normally means be true to ourselves. It normally implies bringing out the negative in you so that you know what you need to improve on. It’s depressing to find fault about yourselves and work from there. I believe the better way would be to make positive judgement of ourselves, and use that to improve on our negatives. I’ll share a quote with you from a book i’ve recently read - Creative Company (or Open Minds) by Andy Law.

“The only real enemy was how we used to be.”

Enjoy the finale that is world cup 2006! Italy v France, i’m not sure if i can still be up at 2 in the morning. ;)