Judgement gets a bad rap.
People who say they never judge are lying. Every decision made is a judgment call. It is how one decides who they are. “Am I going to go to Lowe’s or Home Depot? McDonald’s or Burger King? Meth or cocaine?”
Even judgements that seem to be tied to some sort or morality (heaven forbid!) are simply decisions. They may be directly related to our core being, and potentially carry more weight, but are judgements all the same. “I’m broke, should I pretend to scan the vegan fried chick’n and make the boop sound at self-checkout, or should I put said Chick’n back and just get rice and beans (again) and pay for them? Which person do I want to be?”
Or “When I go on GMA and Robin Roberts won’t stop asking me to sing ‘No, no Robin. That was many moons ago. I couldn’t possibly,’ do I go Old School show tunes or try and sing what kids are listening to today? Is that Tom Jones still popular?”
Who is to say what decision is right? There may seem to be a clear “socially and morally acceptable” choice. Often there is a clear “higher moral standard.” But, is that attainable all the time? Are there qualifiers that effect every judgment made? Of course.
The place many get hung up most is deciding they are better than someone else because of the decisions they make. It’s why they have colloquialisms like the one about walking a mile in someone’s shoes. Condemnation is the poison, not judgement. Just because a decision is not right for you, doesn’t mean it’s not the right judgment call for someone else to make. Should Jean Valjean have stolen that bread? Should President Trump have paid off Miss Daniels? Who are we to decide?
The call is ours to make when the time comes to decide. The only other question you have to ask is “Am I willing to live with the consequences of my actions?”
People who say they never judge are lying. Every decision made is a judgment call. It is how one decides who they are. “Am I going to go to Lowe’s or Home Depot? McDonald’s or Burger King? Meth or cocaine?”
Even judgements that seem to be tied to some sort or morality (heaven forbid!) are simply decisions. They may be directly related to our core being, and potentially carry more weight, but are judgements all the same. “I’m broke, should I pretend to scan the vegan fried chick’n and make the boop sound at self-checkout, or should I put said Chick’n back and just get rice and beans (again) and pay for them? Which person do I want to be?”
Or “When I go on GMA and Robin Roberts won’t stop asking me to sing ‘No, no Robin. That was many moons ago. I couldn’t possibly,’ do I go Old School show tunes or try and sing what kids are listening to today? Is that Tom Jones still popular?”
Who is to say what decision is right? There may seem to be a clear “socially and morally acceptable” choice. Often there is a clear “higher moral standard.” But, is that attainable all the time? Are there qualifiers that effect every judgment made? Of course.
The place many get hung up most is deciding they are better than someone else because of the decisions they make. It’s why they have colloquialisms like the one about walking a mile in someone’s shoes. Condemnation is the poison, not judgement. Just because a decision is not right for you, doesn’t mean it’s not the right judgment call for someone else to make. Should Jean Valjean have stolen that bread? Should President Trump have paid off Miss Daniels? Who are we to decide?
The call is ours to make when the time comes to decide. The only other question you have to ask is “Am I willing to live with the consequences of my actions?”
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