Judgment In David Sheff's Beautiful Boy

Judgement is defined as the ability to make conclusions based on previous knowledge, fact or not. In my eyes, judgement is also forming an opinion without thought. John F. Kennedy stated, “Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.” The quote is criticizing the act of judgement and the lack of thought attached. I agree with the statement made by Kennedy and believe that personal experience and facts should be thought of before forming an opinion. David Sheff’s book, Beautiful Boy, is an example how personal experience influences an opinion. David Sheff never thought his beautiful son could ever experience the ache of drug addiction. He harshly judged other parents whose kids experienced struggles. His son, Nic, was an honor student, a varsity athlete, and was nothing like those kids who became addicted to drugs and alcohol. Sheff often asked himself, how could a parent let their own child become addicted to a drug? Why are they not doing something to help? However, all these opinions and judgements seemed to disappear by the age of twelve when Nic tasted alcohol, tried marijuana by the age of fourteen, and became addicted to Methamphetamine by the age of eighteen. For several years, Nic went through a cycle of rehab and relapsing, when he would steal and lie for drugs. Sheff had tried everything to help. He provided finances for college, found Nic

Judgements are often made by people without considering past or current situations of others. By putting yourself in one’s shoes and experiencing their situation yourself, an opinion will change. Addiction is a horrible disease that took over Nic Sheff’s life, much to the dismay of his father. Through personal experience of years of anguish, depression, anger, and disappointment, the judgements of Sheff altered. The discomfort of thought and experience ultimately allowed Sheff to construct an enlightened