Leaving Islam has made me a way more compassionate person

Does anyone else feel this way? I’ve realized that since I stopped practicing, I’ve finally put down this massive weight I didn’t even know I was carrying.

When I was Muslim, I was constantly looking at everyone through this "halal vs. haram" lens. It was almost involuntary but I’d find myself judging people for things that aren’t even immoral, like who they loved or how they lived their lives. I couldn't just accept people for who they were because I was always measuring them against whether they were a "good Muslim" or not. But now I just don’t see labels anymore, I just see fellow humans. It’s so much easier to actually love people when you aren't worried about their religious status.

The same goes for art and music. I used to feel so much guilt for loving things that make life beautiful because I was told they were haram. Now I can just watch a movie or listen to a song and appreciate the artistic expression without that constant "is this allowed?" voice in the back of my head. I feel so much more "human" now. Religion was actually making me forget that we’re all just people navigating this world together. Of course this isn’t to say that there aren’t bad people or anything just that I was used to judging people very harshly before even when they did nothing that should’ve warranted that judgement.