"A belief is not merely an idea the mind possess; it is an idea that possess the mind." - Robert Oxton Bolton

I believe I am a people watcher. You know the type, the person that sits on a Wal-Mart bench watching the various types of people strolling through the store. I love to watch what people do in public, what they wear, what they buy. (This may classify me as a stalker however, that is another story) For instance, the young mother whose hair is a mess, kids screaming, and her biggest worry is getting the candy bars her children want onto the counter and paid for.  I believe I am also one that others would group me with someone who judges others, a judger if you will. This is not my most favorite quality about myself, but realistically it is.  It is a quality, if you can call it that, which I carry. I notice the woman carrying the Michael Kors purse, nails freshly manicured, stacking her groceries into her Escalade. I am also waiting for that same young mother, whose hair is a wreck, to pay for her groceries with tax dollars.  In reality, the woman in the Escalade is stealing money from the non-profit organization she works for and the young mother has two jobs, husband has three, and they are not on assistance.  I believe I can recognize this because I have been there.  I have been part of a family that looks elegant, classy, and wealthy as we were scrounging to pay our bills each month.

Though the thought of judging is frowned upon morally, it is pushed upon us every single day by the media.  We are asked to judge each person doing something wrong in the news, make judgment on those who are protesting, and we are asked to publish our opinions via votes on issues about race, gender, and equality.  The Grammys are on tonight and every other commercial is “Check in with us tomorrow for best and worsted dressed at the Grammys”, “go online and vote your best and worsted dressed and see it aired tomorrow”. My favorite of all is the Nutrisystem commercials, they reel you in by showing you before and after pictures, expecting you to judge if someone has gotten skinny enough in an appropriate amount of time that suits you. 

Now how in the world is all this talk about judging related to traveling. For me, I have never really traveled.  I have been on a few family vacations where my main priority was focused on the time with my family, usually around some sort of water, and pondering when I was getting my next drink.  In every one of those instances, I was a tourist, or was I a traveler? I was in a certain place at a certain time to enjoy the weather and the town I was visiting. I was not looking to get to know the locals, understands the culture, or taste local delicacies.  Those are the judgments I have made on what a traveler is.  There are others who have a differing definition of a traveler than I do, a traveler is what you decide.  Each of the readings have given us small glimpses into the idea of a traveler, however how can I make judgment if I am still trying to decide which category I fit into.