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Life Practice
"No need to judge!"If you observe your mind's flow of thoughts, you will discover a tendency that is so automatic you will scarcely notice it. Yet, this automatic reaction has profound effects on our views of others and how we view ourselves. What is that automatic pattern? Judging! We are constantly assessing others and ourselves in terms of our beliefs, social norms, and social expectations. When someone falls short, we criticize and belittle them, sometimes in our minds and at other times to their faces. When someone hits the mark, we think happy thoughts about them. When we fall short, we condemn ourselves, sometimes to the point where depression follows. When we hit the mark, we feel good about ourselves, which elevates our self-esteem.
Judge, judge, judge--it goes on and on. Sometimes these are positive judgments; often times, they are negative. So, how can we intervene when we suddenly realize that we're in the grip of a judgment? We can simply say to ourselves "No need to judge". This life practice has the advantage of making us conscious of our judgment, so we can stand back from it and make a conscious choice. We might decide that the judgment is justified, but we might also see how arbitrary and hurtful it is to others or ourselves. When we give up our judgment, we offer acceptance. Judgment closes the mind while acceptance keeps it open. Judgment can hurt; acceptance can heal.
