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Our world lives in relativity, everything is compared and contrasted to something else. That is what gives life meaning. We can not know or distinguish the colour red if we don't have a contrast like blue or yellow. We can not say something is loud unless with have something quiet to compare it with. Up means nothing without down, and so on. Judgement fits into our reality with another layer; which is our opinion about it. Observation without judgement is simply witnessing, and that is something that animals and some very special folk can do very well and quite naturally. On the other hand, observation with an opinion can become judgement.

My definition of Judgement is:
"An opinion or conclusion where one is deemed better than the other."

And another good definition is
"The ability to make considered decisions or come to sensible conclusions."

Now let us hold that information in the back of our minds as I delve into the very important topic of Judgement!

Why Do We Judge?

This world is changing, evolving and ascending. With every passing moment, there is more diversity, more ideas, more Novelty than ever before. In fact, novelty is increasing exponentially around the world, and it seems to go hand in hand with Judgement. Looking at the chart below you can see how judgement is a term that has increased dramatically since the early 1900's.

What this tells us is that we are thinking about judgement more than ever, so the question is WHY, and does it help us?

I think the MAIN reason is as I said above NOVELTY! The more differences we have in our world, the more opinions we will have about them, and conversely the more judgement. Judging others is almost a natural quality of the human condition.. we tend to think that our opinions are right, and also better or more true than someone else's. In these times of global ubiquitous information flow and exchange, we are being presented with many more different ideas than ever before. This can be quite challenging when ideas conflict, and especially so when they are related to core issues such as religion, sexual orientation, climate etc.

ATTACHMENT!

As novelty increases, it seems that polarisation of our views and opinions also increases. When we hold on to an idea or personal truth about the world we can get very attached to it, and even more so if we are presented with another idea that is totally the opposite! Let's take an example that happened to me last week. I posted on Facebook about how Global Warming is (in my opinion) based on fake data and ulterior motives to control and manipulate us. One of the very first responses was from my dear old friend @stillgideon who promptly informed me that what I was saying was Dangerous and a bad thing! From his perspective, he was totally right because his opinion is that Global Warming is REAL, and a great threat to the world. I think about 4 other people told me the same thing, and I'm SURE so many others judged me as a total idiot and were SURE that I was wrong. The 350 comments and debate that ensued then consisted of us all throwing around many statistics, 'facts' and movies to try to illustrate our point. It's fair to say that none of us was any the wiser afterwards, and I don't think any opinions really changed by the end of a week-long debate!

Now, during this epic debate, some people got angry and shared their frustration without any real depth or information. Others remained calm and shared their incredible scientific knowledge to illustrate how I was totally wrong, whilst some just looked on quietly, I assume to gather more information in an attempt to learn more about it.

What is the difference between those who got angry and those who just shared their opinions?

Well, the way it seems to me is that those who have made their mind up, are completely attached to their truth and no longer wish to observe or take in new information were the most upset. I consider myself to be VERY open minded, which is how I came to this new conclusion in the first place.. and so for me, I didn't get angry at anyone sharing their data or opinions, but I did get upset with being judged. To me it felt like being judged was closing the door on any further truth seeking! Just like when a judge in court slams their hammer down, that is IT... the end of all debate and truth-seeking. The judgement is final!

So what value is there in doing this? Well, it looks to me like the greatest value in judgement is protection. When we judge we are protecting our ideas, morals and even our way of life. For many, it is not even possible to keep an open mind or debate things like whether God exists, or whether their holy scriptures are true or not. Even the idea of this can lead to great conflict and war, and you know what I'm talking about!

So what are we protecting exactly? With just about every war and fight on this earth being based on an "I'm right and you are wrong" kind of attitude, it is a very pertinent question to ask!

WE DONT LIKE CHANGE!

Another very important reason for the prevalence of Judgement in our world is that we don't like change! Us humans are generally habitual creatures, and once we have established our ideas and values they become more or less entrenched or hardcoded in our neural networks. Changing our values means massive changes in our brain wiring and so unless you have grown up (like myself) with great changes happening we will resist change and therefore judge. I believe one of the reasons I was able to shift my perspective on Global Warming is because I have seen SO much change in my life from a very early age. I lived in 4 countries and went to 7 different schools before I was 12 years old! I have lived in SO many different places and had so many different friends and experiences that I am very used to change and usually welcome it. In fact, I thrive on it because that's how my mind has learned to adapt to constant change.

I believe that if we are brought up with changes in our lives then we will be less likely to judge! I mean how can you judge when you are exposed to totally different cultures and values? Because of that, I have really learned ACCEPTANCE and TOLERANCE and welcome other opinions without feeling TOO threatened.

And here we come to the crux! Ultimately we are just protecting our IDENTITY! It is that simple! We have our perspective and identity that is made up of the many ideas and notions that we believe about our world. Our EGO is the creator of our identity and when the ego feels threatened it will judge something else to protect its own integrity and existence. So judgement is almost like a life preservation mechanism that we revert to whenever our view of the world or ourselves is challenged. It is a powerful mechanism and one that is leading the way to ever more disharmony and conflict!

SO does it help!??
Yes and no! It helps the person judging to maintain their truth whether it is correct or not. It helps the person judging to feel safe and in control of things. It helps the person judging to be able to continue to relate to the world in the way that they have been accustomed to. In a way, it is the ultimate last line of defence when we cannot use other methods of protection so we can hold on to reality as we know it!

BUT

Does it really help the world?

NO, no and no! Oh my god, how much war and death do we have to witness to realise that judgement is the most toxic tool of suppression that we live with. What if It was OK to have a different opinion, OK to be different, OK to be wrong, EVEN if it means rethinking some core ideas or values that we have held.

It takes a humble person to admit that they may be wrong, and it takes an open-minded person to let other ideas in without having to judge them. Our world desperately needs to LET GO of Judgement because it is tearing us apart. We are learning SO much about our reality and are making incredible advances in science, and even religion as our secrets are coming out. The only way to move forward and progress is to let go of what we think is right or wrong and be OPEN to learning new things. It doesn't have to be a threat, it doesn't have to matter if we were wrong about something our whole lives.. what matters is that we are here in this present moment re-thinking and re-evaluating things and adjusting our ideas so that things align.

Judgement self-limiting

If we have put people down and judged them for something, and then come to realise we may be wrong about our ideas, how can we then change? When we point the finger at others we have three fingers pointing back at ourselves! That is important to remember because the moment we judge others we make the situation even more polarised and limits our progress. We make it even harder for ourselves to change when we have criticised others for their opinions or ideas. It is hard to say we were wrong about something at the best of times, and even more so when we have so much invested in the ideas that we have become attached to.

Non Judgement

Since we are almost like judging machines it is not feasible to expect us to not judge anything. So when we talk about non-judgement it's important to realise that it isn't about stopping judgments from ever arising since it's the nature of the mind to judge. Instead, it's about changing your relationship to your judgments. Knowing that they're temporary thoughts, and you don't need to be swept away by them just because they arise in your mind.

This is a part of mindfulness, a great practice that can bring us a new perspective on the world. Non-judgment opens you up to more of life’s beauty. Non-judgment helps you cultivate a peaceful mind. Letting go of the judgment of “bad” frees you from the suffering caused by interpreting it this way. Non-judgment helps you see clearly. When reacting to your judgments, you’re only seeing your interpretation of what’s there. Letting go of those judgments helps you see things as they actually are.

 

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