In any time of stress, there is a tendency for people to run wild with judgment. Of course, it is easier to say, “Judge not, lest ye be judged” than it is to practice the precept. Keep in mind that nothing is good or bad, right or wrong, until you judge it so, and then it is merely your perception. That is all that judgment really is – one’s perception of a given event, person, action, or thing. Shakespeare wrote of the qualities of man’s character in Hamlet. Among other very good advice, he warned to “reserve thy judgment.”

One of the greatest ironies of judgment is that, when we are judging we think we are performing positive thinking, because we are sure that our judgment is right. However, the mere act of judging is a negative one. To judge is to rate something using your opinion as the scale. Sometimes your opinion is based on certain theologies, philosophies, or doctrines that have been handed down for generations, but that does not change the basis for your judgment, which remains your opinion. It also doesn’t matter that your opinion may be one that is held by others, perhaps many others. We judge when we want others to do things our way and learn our lessons.

The fact is, judging – whether judging others, their actions, events, or anything else – is a process of rating according to your opinion and perception. Who are we to judge? Can we really sit back and believe that we have the right, that we are in a position, to judge? Our perceptions change over the course of our lifetimes – from childhood to teenage to adulthood to elderly – so, at what age, then, do we judge rightly?

When a higher level of consciousness is attained, when you become in tune in soul and spirit, then the need or urge to judge dissipates. It becomes no longer necessary. You see that everyone is on their own journey, learning their own lessons, and that journey is their business and not yours.

When you reach this state of consciousness, you will be overcome with a sense of loving and accepting. This feeling will wash over your being and affect your every waking moment. You will not need to judge others. You will actually love them more and stop expecting them to act in a certain way. Your ability to give unconditional love will be automatic. You will be living a life of peace, one of harmonious resonance with spirit and soul. And that is the goal for sure.