Judging others

Not sure about others, but many a times I am guilty of judging others. Is that person honest, does he/she lie, does he /she indulge in gossip, is she even worthy of being my friend.

Before calling someone my friend, I would almost always tend to judge that person atleast for a while. What if she is lying to me, what if she gossips about me behind my back, what if she is a crook/what if she is not a good person, and how can I forget, what if she is into drugs/smokes/drinks, has vices, lots of what ifs in short. I was of the type who would generally stay away from people she thought were bad people, someone she couldnt be friends with.

But after having been through various ups and downs in life, having experienced my share of good, some not so good and some very good friendships, I have stopped judging people.
I know that irrespective of the fact that my friends are the ones who have wronged, I would still stand by them, irrespective of them being guilty of cheating/being dishonest, they are still my friends.
I realised that I have stopped judging my friends.. And am sure so have they, guess thats what they call, a friend in need is a friend indeed.