"don't judge"- really?!?

[7luminaries]

LOL...cheers...

Only a completely impartial person has a right to judge. It is not in human nature to be completely impartial. Only God can judge. I read that when the Greeks held a particularly important and difficult trial, they held it in the dark so that judge and jury would not even see the man on trial, and so would be influenced by nothing but the facts of the case.

I believe there is a difference between "judging" and "noticing". To notice something about someone is to become aware of that trait, aspect, condition, but to judge it would be to deem it good or bad. I believe we can notice things about other people and the world around us without labeling it with a connotation that comes from the emotional part of ourselves.

But I agree there is a lot of hypocrisy in religious sects that are adamant about not judging others yet do so on a regular basis.

[7luminaries]

Originally Posted by Shim

Only a completely impartial person has a right to judge. It is not in human nature to be completely impartial. Only God can judge. I read that when the Greeks held a particularly important and difficult trial, they held it in the dark so that judge and jury would not even see the man on trial, and so would be influenced by nothing but the facts of the case.

Well, nothing but the facts of the case, their own perceptions, views, and biases they carry inside them, and...whether or not they can recognise the voice of the "defendant".

I myself am very good at recognising voices, LOL...so better not pick me for a Greek jury. Especially because they actually believed they were impartial...a dangerous fallacy as you say.

We have to oversee yet trust in due process & courts of law; imperfect as they are, it's the best we have...and yet we know certain groups tend not to receive the same treatment...this isn't necessarily the fault of the law -- it's the biases of society that cause this. Individuals will tend to reflect these biases unless they have overcome them.

Whenever we stand up on behalf of others, or make a decision...we are using judgment...we hope and strive to have and use good judgment. Our judgment however is a product of who we are as ppl. It can't be wise if we are not.

As you say, it's against human nature to be impartial. But that's not the same as using (a negative form of) judgment to decide the worth of others. Which as you say is not even our right or privilege to do. We can instead choose to be partial to non-biased positions, to tolerance and open-mindedness, to valuing life, etc.

If we put others first, strive to do no harm and strive to do as much good as we can, then we are at least being partial on the side of what we perceive to be good, equitable, and life-affirming.

Peace,
7L

Originally Posted by 7luminaries

If we put others first, strive to do no harm and strive to do as much good as we can, then we are at least being partial on the side of what we perceive to be good, equitable, and life-affirming.

Peace,
7L

No one has a right to criticize others without being prepared to venture in the same situation. We've quite enough to do to rectify our own lives without seeking the faults to rectifiy the lives of others.

[Lazarus72]

Yeah, I think maybe there's a distinction to be made between notions like 'value judgement' that is perhaps intrinsic to comprehension and interaction, and 'risk assessment' that is invariably necessary for continued survival,

....and that of standing in judgement over others whereupon perhaps, 'we shouldn't judge a man until we've walked two moons in his moccasins'.

[7luminaries]

Originally Posted by Shim

No one has a right to criticize others without being prepared to venture in the same situation. We've quite enough to do to rectify our own lives without seeking the faults to rectifiy the lives of others.

Yes, agreed.

[7luminaries]

Originally Posted by Lazarus72

Yeah, I think maybe there's a distinction to be made between notions like 'value judgement' that is perhaps intrinsic to comprehension and interaction, and 'risk assessment' that is invariably necessary for continued survival,

....and that of standing in judgement over others whereupon perhaps, 'we shouldn't judge a man until we've walked two moons in his moccasins'.

Yes exactly my point...well said...

Everybody judges. And we see everyone judge. When people say "don't judge", it is a particular kind of judging. One where the person judging displays an opinion along the lines of "you are worthless, you are worth less than others are, you are with less than I am, I am up here above everyone, you are beneath me, everyone is beneath me."

People speak up about this kind of judgment for many reasons. For one thing, it is factually incorrect. In the grand scheme of things, one person is not worth less than another. And when one gains true insight into the nature of sentient beings through spiritual practices, it becomes apparent that no one is worth more or less than anyone else. Another reason is that telling people they are worthless or worth less is mistreatment. It is hurtful behavior that nobody deserves. Those are just some examples of why this kind of judging will often result in people telling you "don't judge".

wow. im judging right now that basically no one here is right. cool...