There is Judgment, and There is Love

I guess it's human nature to form opinions about other people. He is smart, she is pretty, he is shy, she is messed up.

But I wonder why.

What good did it do for those cave men to judge others way back when? I guess if you were worried about your survival, and somebody was heading out to hunt sabre tooth tigers, and you knew he couldn't throw a spear two feet, it would be good to recognize that weakness and, hence, pass judgment. Food, and safety, and survival, would be good reasons to pass judgment.

But our society has taken this way too far. We judge people by whether they're too fat, or by how they spend their time. By who their friends are, and by what profession they choose or which college they attend or even which sport they play. We judge them by which cell phones they have, and how they dress, and how they talk. And of course we judge them on their religious beliefs and their sexual preferences and skin color, and I fail to see how all this has anything to do with food or safety or survival.

And the worst part is that we don't just judge people we don't know. We judge our friends, our neighbors, and our family members...sometimes them even more than others.

Of course we are concerned for our loves ones, but there is a big difference between concern and judgment. Concern means we are hopeful for their survival and safety and happiness in life. Judgment is really just another word for egotism; we judge our loved ones not from concern but from that insatiable need to stroke and nourish our hungry egos with lofty opinions.

What we need more of around here is love. Pure unconditional love. Love that doesn't care about what you eat or how much you exercise or who you marry. Love that transcends the ego.

Yes, we need a whole lot more love, and a whole lot less judgment. That's one of my hopes for the new year.