The Cost of Judgment

According to the Cambridge English Dictionary, judgment is the 'ability to form opinions and make decisions, or a decision or opinion about someone or something'. Certainly, our ability to evaluate a thing or a situation and come to an understanding, opinion or decision about it is fundamental to our success in navigating the world around us. We make countless decisions every day, from the moment we wake up to the time we go back to sleep again, and the quality of those decisions correlate directly with the quality or calibre of the deliberations we have about them. In many ways, we are defined by the decisions or judgments that we make.

But is the word 'judgment' the correct term to use? Why is it that 'judgment' sounds more loaded than discernment, for example? Passing judgment on something somehow feels harsher, more critical, all encompassing and final. That is because it is. When we 'discern' something about a thing or situation, we usually do at least one of two things that make it different from judgment. First of all, we make an unbiased and objective assessment of it, free from the distortion of personal opinion and prejudice. It is an open-minded understanding, that then allows us to appreciate the bigger picture, to perceive the nuances of a thing or situation. So, my second point would be that discernment allows for a multi-layered approach to understanding. Without the subjective and possibly emotive component of opinion, which could over-ride our willingness to consider a more complex analysis that might include conflicting perspectives, we avoid 'the rush to judgment' and have a greater opportunity to arrive at a fairer, more accurate and truthful assessment. With discernment we are less likely to make inferences and find someone or something completely unworthy or unacceptable, but recognize that things are not all bad, and the imperfect or unfavourable can reside side by side with the great and admirable.

So, why is all of this important? Because from a spiritual perspective, there is a heavy price to pay for judgment. The bible categorically tells us, 'Judge not, lest ye be judged'. This is not because we know better than to be cruel and condemning, and there are 'spiritual police' keeping track of everything we do. No, the situation is far graver than that. It is because the moment you interfere in someone else's business by having an opinion on it (even if it remains unexpressed), you adopt it as your own and it creates personal karma. This is fine if your thoughts are loving and supportive, but a problem if they are not. What you will have done is unnecessarily add to the list of all the things you already needed to clear before you can return home to God.

God is Love, which means that in essence, you are too. We are all One. So, when you are unloving to others you are effectively being unloving to yourself. A lack of Love expressed by the self means a dimming of the Light in your energy field, resulting in shadows, darkness and blockages which can eventually lead to suffering and illness on any of the incarnated levels of your being (physical, emotional and mental). So, it is important that we learn to become mindful of our thoughts and take steps to eliminate from our lives those things that cause unrest and unhappiness. Not only should we strive to understand the deeper meaning behind those issues that arise to trouble us so that they can be addressed and corrected, but we should seek to mitigate any dark thoughts we observe within ourselves through honest self observation and reflection. We must notice when we feel angry or resentful towards others, if we wish others ill or rejoice in their misfortune. And then we should ask ourselves why. For even though we are triggered by others, the real problem and solution lie within our own selves. You are the key to your own redemption. You hold all the power over yourself, and through a process of understanding, love and inner consultation with the wisdom of your own higher Mind, you can liberate yourself from the grip of dark and discordant thoughts and return yourself to the power and Love of the Light.