An interesting article from 'Discipulo' on judging others

 

  Judgement of Others.

“…for those who are honest are unwilling to say or even think anything unless they are willing to let others know it, indeed all others, even the whole of heaven. But those who are not willing to allow others to know what they say pass judgement on others. They have a poor opinion of others and a good one of themselves, and at length, because they behave in that way habitually, they go so far as to think and speak ill even of the Church, heaven, and yes the Lord Himself.”

Emanuel Swedenborg. (Arcana Caelestia 7747)

 

Why is it that human beings find it necessary to judge others? To understand better, it is first necessary to bring to ourselves a clear understanding of what judgement of human action really is. Perhaps first of all we are reminded of our own courts system in which there is a civil officer invested with the power to hear and determine causes in a court of justice and who ultimately presides over all judicial proceedings once litigation has begun. Such a person we refer to as a judge, and is responsible for ensuring that the law is followed and applied in a congruous manner at all times. Once all judicial discernments have been made, a final judgement is then determined by court representatives and, if appropriate, a sentence of justice is then made.

Then we may think of judgement in the area of religion. An example of this is what is known in the Christian religion as the “Last Judgement,” or, “Judgement Day: the Judgement of mankind by God at the end of the world. In this scenario, every single person that ever lived, without any exceptions, is the recipient of a conscious discernment, either favourable or unfavourable, but this time it is passed by a force that completely transcends human beings and is, by all accounts, unerring in its “arbitrations” due to its omnipotent and omniscient nature. Finally, there are the unceasing decisions that the vast majority of members of all societies make about everything of which they are conscious in their own sphere of activity and beyond, but in particular their fellow men and women.

Upon analysis of the above examples, it can be concluded that the most outstanding common thread that binds them together is the fact that there is a hierarchical system at work. In other words, there is always a relative relationship between judge and those that are being judged based on the former being perceived to be superior in discernment because of, greater power, understanding, experience and perhaps specialist training. It is in the last given example, however, that such a perceived relationship, engendered in the mind of the individual who has set him or herself the task of judging another in an unofficial capacity and in a wholly personal manner, is not necessarily agreed with by others at the collective level.

It is without a doubt this sort of judging that is the most problematic and destructive in society and which Jesus exhorted us not to engage in “lest we too be judged by others.” But two thousand years later, it is evident that societies around the world have not done well at heeding such advice.

Returning now to the question posited at the beginning of this article, we may now attempt to provide an answer. We may say that many people’s tendency to judge others is born of a desire to exert one’s own inner sense of right and wrong, as well as to make them feel superior and more secure in their own thoughts and feelings. Such is this truly needed feeling to psychologically exert themselves over others in order to strengthen their inner security, that in the majority of cases, they probably do not even have a conscious awareness of it. As long as they have a mechanism that allows them to appear stronger and steadier to both themselves and others, illusory as it is, they undoubtedly would be uninterested in having it brought to their attention so that at least they have a chance of learning to respond to their fellow beings in a better way than continuing to harm and hurt them, even though it may most often not be their intention to do so.

When a person has experienced difficult circumstances as a result of a decision they made at some point in the past, it is often seized upon with great enthusiasm by the self-proclaimed judge who is more than eager to point out how it is that the unfortunate should have acted in order to avoid such painful results, and how they would never have behaved in such a way themselves. Indeed, it would seem that upon hearing the entire episode in every calamitous detail in a few scant minutes only, they can analyse exhaustively with computer like speed every occurrence, both actual and potential, and point out exactly where it all went wrong. Such a tactless and wounding attitude is not only destructive, but it is also a boost to one’s own ego, or “proprium,” as Swedenborg referred to it. It is very often the case that the very nature of the original decision that brought downfall can now be seen by all concerned because of the benefit of hindsight, and hindsight is like being lifted up above the trees of the forest that have been obscuring one’s view, and when freed of the forest darkness, one is able to look down from a position that is both illuminated and elevated. It is then that all becomes clear. Or as Swedenborg tells us: “Providence can only be viewed from behind.” But the critic is once again unaware of something that is most important where the lessons of life are concerned, and that is that they were not in that person’s particular forest at a precise time, and under unique circumstances. They take great pleasure in pointing out that if only a specific course of action had been followed and all other possible decisions had been avoided, then the onset of failure and adversity would have been displaced by a successful outcome, just as the self-appointed judge apparently experiences in all their own daily affairs. There exists in their minds the assumption that they are able to know the exact colouration of thought and feeling that was experienced every step of the way (in the context of ever changing circumstances) that led up to the current hardship now being encountered by the unfortunate victim; a victim, that is, of their own apparent foolishness.

If this description of human attitude and behaviour sounds completely improper, then it must be admitted that it needs to be replaced with an approach that is less centred on the self and its exaltation, and more on compassion and altruism. It is only with such an attitude and inner posture that one will truly be able to be of help and assistance to another, while at the same time remaining clear of the self-harm that always comes with egotistical judgement.

It will undoubtedly behove us to examine in some detail the concepts of compassion in the future. In the meantime, let us retreat into the sanctuary of the inner-self and, while there, free from the judgements and condemnation of others, place ourselves under the scrutiny of our own conscience and determine if we have acted towards someone in the way that has been described in this discourse, so adding unnecessarily to their pain at a time when they are already suffering enough. It may be something that we have done recently, or we may now realise that it is something that we have been responsible for in the more distant past. The time factor is not important. What is important is that we are aware of what we have been responsible for, and, when we are, we can then do something to help protect ourselves and others from any further occurrences. Swedenborg’s “True Christian Religion” speaks of repentance in the following way:

“A person who has never repented, or looked into himself and examined himself, ends up not knowing what is the evil that damns him and what the good that saves him.”

From the same chapter we read:

“Sensual men are sharp and clever in reasoning, because their thought is so close to their speech that it is virtually in it, being, so to speak, on their lips; and because In speaking they regard all intelligence as based solely on memory. They are clever at proving false ideas, and having done so believe them to be true. But their reasoning and proofs are based upon illusions produced by the senses, and these serve to attract the attention of and persuade ordinary people.”

If we are really serious about bringing the right sort of change to ourselves, then we will need to take some action. The following ideas may be of help.

• In a few quiet moments, preferably when you are alone and away from the rigours of daily living, ask yourself inwardly if you have been responsible for inappropriate judgement against another. Honesty and a fully committed attempt to face up to some unpleasant truths are of paramount importance here, as is considerable courage.

• If your answer is in the affirmative, then pray to God with thanks for helping you to discern that there is need for improvement in this area of your life. Without awareness there is no way forward, so a prayer of gratitude is always a good way to begin our approach to any change that we wish to be made manifest in our lives.

• It is desirable to ensure that we do not fall prey to feelings of guilt. The progressive mind should always attempt to learn from past errors and move forward, and not punish ourselves; not even with guilt. Again a great deal of courage is required. When there is the realisation that we have lived a good part of our lives doing something that can now be seen to be injurious to both ourselves and others, great pain and regret can set in as we become aware of just how much time we have wasted by not acting in a more constructive manner. But this time has not been lost if we are now cognisant of a better way of conducting ourselves in life. And if we can muster sufficient courage and be accepting of the fact that we inevitably have to learn lessons in life then we can constructively advance on the path, rather than become trapped by feelings of inadequacy, so stultifying our progress.

• Mentally placing ourselves in the position of the person who we have judged and trying to feel how it is that they would have experienced our response, may also help us to sympathise with their position, while at the same time assisting us in learning the desired lesson. Jesus told us that we should not do to others what we would not want them to do to us. The creative mind can be a powerful substitute for real life experiences if approached with serious intent and purpose. And it can also teach us about what attitudes to avoid before the sometimes brutal and agonising lessons that we end up needing are forced upon us by life itself.

• God loves us to pray. It is the most important and intimate way that we have at our disposal to communicate with the Divinity. We should already have prayed with gratitude, now we are more entitled to intercede for ourselves. There is something that we both want and need. The wanting of something is the driving force in our prayer and, as long as the desire is not selfish, then that force is positive and will harmonise with God’s altruistic nature. The needing aspect of our prayer, if it is something that truly is needed, and in this case it is, is always going to be in conformity with God’s ways. So we will always receive what is best for us. But that is not to say that we will receive in accordance with how it is that we envisage a response; neither will we necessarily receive at the time we think most propitious. “The Imitation of Christ,” a most worthy and notable Christian text authored by Thomas A Kempis, tells us that if we do not appear to receive an answer from God, then that does not mean that one will not be received – it may well be that “God wishes you to stay with him a little longer in prayer.” Additionally, you may already have received what is desirable for you to have, but it has been missed because something specific was expected. If that is the case, then the munificent response from God may be missed and the opportunity for further advancement at that time may be lost. Many people pray to God and are always ready to impart what it is that they think they should have, but relatively speaking it is doubtful if many actually listen as they should. Indeed, listening is a skill in itself. But though many like to talk about themselves to others at considerable length, they are not anywhere near as good at listening. They likewise apply this same mind-set when addressing the Heavens. It is worthy of note that there are those who love to listen to sordid tales, cheap jokes, slanderous stories and hurtful gossip to name but a few. But when they pray, do they lend their God their attentive ears to the same degree? It is doubtful that they do. And how strange a state-of-affairs this is when they proclaim that their God is more important than anything, when in actual fact it is their favourite soap opera that is far more worthy of a jolly good listening to.

With these points in mind, then, pray that your own efforts in initiating and maintaining change be bolstered by God’s. The adage that God helps those who help themselves is not a fallacy – it really is true. But God wants us to make the effort too. We simply will not have everything done for us in life just because we choose to ask. And if we are truly sincere in our desire to learn how to “imitate Christ,” but more than that we are prepared to put into action what we now know to be a better way, then we will bring ourselves into greater and more harmonious alignment, not only with our environment, but also with the Divinity.