Why is judgment inimical? Since it is so much part of society, existing subtly, almost undetected, it appears innocuous enough.
First of all, we never know all the facts. When someone is an alcoholic, for example, it is because they are seeking to bury a deep pain. Since we don't know the story of that pain, we can't really comment on it.
Judgment also does not help the judged; and it pollutes your own free spirit. It results in gossip, slander, and, if the judger is powerful enough, in persecution.
Second, our view of the world is not the only one that is correct. For a man of one religion, the church of another is not his sacred ground. As Arthur Schopenhauer put it, “Everyone takes the limits of his own vision for the limits of the world.”
Third, it prevents forgiveness when boundaries are crossed. And resentment corrupts the person who resents, diminishing their good-will and light-heart.
More significantly, however, when we choose to judge another, there is something about ourselves that we are hiding from.
As Carl Jung expressed it, “Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to a deeper understanding of ourselves.”
The opposite of judgment is the decision to be free. Releasing judgment gives you and the other the opportunity to be free.
We have to understand that with billions of people on the planet, it's going to be remarkable to find a majority who share exactly the same values that you do.
Joan of Arc was burned at the stake - continued below ...
