We tend to have strong opinions about what is good and what is bad, what is correct and what is faulty, what is advisable and what needs to be avoided at all costs. Being judgmental gives us a sense of security. Life is so well organized when one divides actions, thoughts or people into right and wrong.
Judgment and fear are energies that take us seriously off-center. We have to release these energies more and more, in order to become more quiet and open inside. It is the only way to enter another world, another plane of consciousness.
Making moral judgments about other people’s behaviors and the the state of the world is based on lack of insight into spiritual dynamics. Moreover, it weakens our own strength, since the anger and frustration we sometimes feel by watching the news or reading newspapers cannot be transformed into something constructive. It merely depletes us and lowers our state of consciousness. Probably more than ever before, we have to look at it from a distance, from an attitude of trust. We should try to intuitively sense the undercurrents in collective consciousness, and inform ourselves about the things we hardly read or hear about in mainstream media.
One of the authors that have been of real help lately in paying more attention to the importance of non-judgement is Gary Renard. Although I have never been able to read A Course in Miracles (mainly because the convoluted way it is written and its overuse of Christian terms), Renard’s books deal with the main underlying issues in a much more straightforward manner. They are uncompromising with the ego and its devious ways of working to cover up for its egocentrism and selfishness. Therefore, they can be very interesting for anyone on a committed spiritual path.
The antidote for judgement (and criticism) is compassion. And it all starts with self-compassion. When we genuinely have loving- kindness and compassion towards ourselves, we naturally have it towards others, it just overflows to all. Probably, the reason why we get upset and reactive quickly, is because we do not feel at peace with ourselves inside. The reason why we judge and criticize others is because we are always judging ourselves for our shortcomings and lack of success.
Let’s take into account that judging is a fear-based action. If we observe ourselves we can notice that when we judge, we grow harsh inside and we distance ourselves from the person we want to become.
The ego has to place judgments on everything it notices. It loves that. There is no room for simply noticing things as they are. Everything has to be separated in categories, to be labeled right or wrong.
It is so much healthier and evolved to become the witness. When we do not hold strong opinions about anything, when we do not feel the need to take sides, we take more the role of the observer. When we do not act from the ego anymore (or at least as little as possible), we remain open, not wanting to define everything and superimposing our beliefs upon reality. Then life stops being a struggle and becomes a journey.
