Many years ago, when I was a child, I was an altar boy, and I remember being so indoctrinated into Christianity and the Catholic belief system that I was in total fear of judgement day. Judgement Day, to me, was the worst possible outcome for anybody. Now I believe every day is judgement day.
Why am I saying that? I'm saying it because every moment we're judging. When we're out on the street, we're judging what this person is and what that person isn't, and what they look like and what they don't look like, what job they work at, what they're wearing, etc. And if danger appears in any form, we make judgements. Now, a lot of that, I accept, is survival, and I've no problem with that, because as we know, if a bus is coming down the street at you, you are going to make a judgement to get out of the way. Or indeed, if that elephant is charging towards you, you're going to make a judgement and get out of the way.
I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about sometimes petty little judgements that we make all the time, every day. And in the religious sense, when we hear about Judgement Day, that you will be judged on your thoughts and your actions. Perhaps it is the accumulation of all those judgements that we've made that come back to us. Is that possible?
Should we be even making these kinds of judgements at all? Can we walk a mile in somebody else's shoes? Do we have the authority, do we have the knowing? Do we have the insight to make any judgement about others without having walked that mile in their shoes?
That's why I think every day is Judgement Day, and I'm sincerely trying now to stay away from making those kinds of judgements about anybody or anything. Indeed, in some circles, (and I think this may come from "A Course In Miracles") where the author realized I know nothing about anything because anything I think I know is a judgement. So let's ruminate on that for a little while.
You can see the similarities and you can see why it's a recurring theme and why I certainly have to work on it. I believe a lot of the world needs to work on removing all judgement from our thinking, too!
Questions About Judgement:
- Have you ever experienced or witnessed judgements being made on a daily basis? How do you feel about it?
- How do you differentiate between necessary judgements for survival and petty judgements in daily life? Can you give examples?
- What impact do you think constant judgement can have on individual well-being and relationships?
- In your opinion, is it possible to completely refrain from making any judgements about others? Why or why not?
- How does the concept of Judgement Day relate to your own beliefs or upbringing?
- Do you agree with the idea that our accumulated judgements come back to us? Why or why not?
- Have you ever caught yourself being judgmental and regretted it? How did it make you feel, and did you try to change your mindset afterward?
- How do you think practicing empathy and understanding can help reduce judgement in our thoughts and actions?
- Are there any specific practices or techniques you employ to cultivate non-judgement in your own life?
- Do you think it is important for society as a whole to work on removing judgements from our thinking? If so, how do you think this could be achieved?
