Judgment Day

For most of us who have grown up in the Anglo-Saxon tradition or in at least a semi-Christian household, the old biblical phrase about judgment is familiar:

"Judge not, that ye be not judged." (Matthew 7:1). We're also familiar with the concept of "let ye among you without sin be the first to cast stones," or something to that effect.

In the Bible, though there were commandments and courts of law, the idea of judging others especially in their personal lives seemed to be a moral wrong; personal judgment was seen to be God's task and that of no one else.

And yet, as Meyers and Briggs, certain historical philosophies, and countless psychologists have attested, not only are some people wired to judge more than others but that there is an actual function in the world for those who are judgmental.

There's a personality type theory called the Enneagram which traces its roots to the tradition of nomadic Muslims who incorporated bits and pieces of Buddhist and Eastern philosophy along the silk roads and caravan trails that wound themselves through Gobi desert and across mountain ranges to reach into the bastion of Western civilization.

I digress......anyway....the idea behind the Enneagram, which means "picture of nine," was to illustrate the nine types of people that form the world; no Type is any better than another and all are essential to make the world spin-- as combined-- the traits of the nine people form the face of God.

Now, Type 1 people are often called Reformers or Idealists and often live with a harsh mental critic. This mental critic not only judges others but the Idealist themself. (It is here that I will note that people like current President Obama and past President Bill Clinton are Type 1 judgers). This is not an easy thing to live with. There are many times where judgment can harm more than it helps. The fear of judgment or judgment itself can be harsh and can serve to paralyze people or spread shame and guilt in ways that are damaging to the soul.

And yet, I write this passage as a devil's advocate of sorts, on behalf of judgment. Yes, judgment can sometimes serve no better purpose but to make others feel bad, and in my book, that seems like a waste of time and a detrimental cause. But sometimes we need judgment. Social structures and institutions found themselves and differentiate themselves from others by passing judgment. This serves a critical purpose.

The problem, I think I've accuratley pinpointed, is when one takes on the judgment of others and social structures to the point that it handicaps personal thought and development. Because I went to Catholic institutions for eight years I'll use a Catholic example.

Catholic church doctrine claims that a sexual union is only an allowable expression of love when it is experienced by a man and a woman who have been married in the catholic tradition before the will of God. This husband and wife must be open to the creation of human life as a product of a sexual union, and therefore, sex without life-creating possibility is not a holy act of love, but tantamount to sin.

This whole concept is judgment. You can only do x if y is present, and z is a possibility, but if x, y or z is missing, than what you're doing is wrong.

The Church has every right to dictate how things should be done in the eyes of their God, and this sort of sexual morality sets a point by which moral attitudes regarding procreation, romance and respect between men and women should be compared. And yet, ultimately, I believe it is no other person's, institutions' or church's right to imbue me with so much judgment that I can't make a decision about my body and my emotions and my life without feeling guilt or shame. Guilt and shame should not enter an adult's picture (unless a crime is committed), and yet, judgment leads the way for these two things to infect the soul and mind.

But we need judgment too. A person should feel judged and judgment if they are fooling around with someone's spouse. People who abuse animals and humans should feel judgment. As people in the modern age we have every right to judge those who commit crimes and to a certain extent, everyone is entitled to their judging of others. For some of us, judgment is habitual because it was wired into our neuro-chemistry and our hearts. We just need to see the value of judgment, as in "I don't appreciate the way that man talks so casually about women and previous relationships" or "that guy is nothing but bad news, stay away."

So maybe in the end, judgment is not bad, but a good thing--but so is open mindedness and these two things should work together in tandem; maybe that is the right way. But who am I to judge?

------dedicated to Meals---