Another blog linked to my Switching from Raw Vegan Diet to the Paleolithic Diet post, so I went there to see who it was and thank them.
I came across the following comment, which referred to that post, and I was taken aback. I was hurt by this person’s comment, because it was like I had offered my soul out there to the public and someone I didn’t even know slashed it with a knife:
I’m sorry- I can’t get past the Starbuck’s Mochas and food stamps. Trying to not start my day being judgemental. Trying. Trying.
All I can say is she wasn’t trying too hard.
What you're doing is wrong!
I think you get my drift.
It’s easy to rush to judgment, but is it wise? Of all the things the person above could have taken from my post and video, she chose to focus on those things she disapproved of. Without even knowing me or my circumstances or how far I’ve come in life.
Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves. –Carl Gustav Jung
Finding fault with others makes us feel better about ourselves. When you realize that you are no better than the next person, then compassion can enter in.
I am a smoker.
I am a caffeine addict.
I am an alcoholic.
I am a negative person.
I am a Christian.
I am a Starbuck’s Mocha addict.
I am a foodstamp recipient.
I am not those things, and I am those things, because I am the sum of all that I was, and I am what I will be. I am a work in progress. But my spirit is perfect and eternal and seeks to overcome the limits of matter and the tugs to my flesh.
I’m not any different. I judge all the time. And I forgive myself for judging. And while I was hurt by this woman’s comment, I am grateful for it as well. Because today she is my teacher and reminds me not to judge others.
Additional reading:
Spelling Tip: Judgment or Judgement? You Be the Judge
Refuse to Condemn Yourself or Feel Guilty for Your Mistakes
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By the way, if anyone is stupid enough to think that they are paying for my foodstamps, be advised that that is not the case.
I paid for my foodstamps by working full-time for over 30 years. You know, all those taxes they take out of paychecks? Yeah, they took them out of my paychecks.
And if I want to buy a mocha with my money while receiving food stamps to which I am legally entitled, feel free to get all self-righteous and judgmental about it. And then get over yourself.
By far, the hardest element of the human condition is to not pass judgment on others.
The strength to not pass judgment is the first strength I ask for in my daily contemplation with that which can not be discussed, yet is is also the first violation of my personal value set each day. Passing judgment is an inherent defense mechanism at best, and then only when it is nurtured and cultivated. Most never get that far.
To strive to not pass judgment is, I believe, among our highest callings. The canundrum…? To not pass judgment on those who pass judgment
One way to curtail automatic judgment is whenever I find myself judging another I cut it short by saying “judgment” out loud.
The worst thing about negatively judging another is that it cuts us off from being able to learn from them. Many times it’s just a way to maintain the status quo in our own lives.