Judgment Pt. 2

So it took me a while to construct this part, because it pertains to a bigger piece then internal, individual judgment. After reading part 1, my uncle asked me to write a bit about judgment from an external higher power

I admit, this is something I’d balked at initially, because so many opinions are thrown around from so many people that at first it seemed rather daunting to put my own thoughts on paper. But, in the end, I realized it’s actually rather simple.

Initially I had determined to write about the judgment of society at large and how we’re told to perceive things – but honestly, part 1 deals with that, as it applies in general to all people, in my opinion.

Now for the big piece.

God.

Some religions call him God, Allah, Odin, Zeus, etc. It is my humble belief that encompasses all of these and more, since I clearly didn’t list them all. Thus why I don’t understand the wars waged throughout history but that’s out of scope.

Do I believe God judges us?

Yes, but perhaps not in the manner most would expect. Most people have a pretty vivid imagination painted by the likes of various religious figures of a righteous judge wreathed in flames carrying the banhammer of banhammers.

Not I. I believe this judgment is very simple – separation. We all know what it feels like to be separated from our spirituality. It’s downright awful. There is a lack of meaning, a lack of substance. This impacts all of our day to day lives and relationships. It creates a void we seek to fill with other things – but it’s usually never enough.

If we judge others, we suffer separation. If we murder, rape, molest, steal, curse, cheat… we suffer separation. When a man cheats on his wife, he separates. When a murderer drives in a knife or pulls a trigger, they separate.

This separation is its own form of hell. It isn’t some fiery chasm filled with pitchfork wielding devils and whip wielding demons. It is our own internal hell, separation from spirit and god. That is the nature of divine judgment to me – not what agenda driven sales agents try to cram into everyone’s head.

When we judge others, we are thusly judged and separate our compassionate humanity and replace it with cold indignity. We thus empower anger, pride and prejudice, while weakening compassion, empathy and respect. This internalized judgment is judgment both from above and within – it is a soul sapping and exhausting affair. I know, because I was there.

I judged it all – you name it, I had a slang and a bad emotion for it. To me, everyone failed to live up to my moral code. It took a serious dose of reality and some hard soul searching to come to that conclusion. Once I found it, I forgave that judgment and opened my eyes to the world around me. It was far more beautiful through those eyes then the ones I glowered through before.

Judgment – pt 1

Today I wanted to write a bit about a big bad word – Judgment. This is going to be a two part post, so….

Judgment is a pretty hefty word. When you think about what it encompasses, what comes to mind? For most of us, we struggle to define the term itself, beyond any real world application. So how can we define it?

Well, I believe judgment is like a box. Inside the box are all these rotten little gifts we like to bestow on others. It can be as small as he or she shouldn’t say this, or, he or she shouldn’t act like that. When we judge others, we are subconsciously applying our moral code upon them, and that’s not very… nice.

There are many instances where we judge people daily, including ourselves. When you see someone who drives like a “psychopath” or eats something you deem gross, you judge them. We all do it, it’s human nature. I say that it’s human nature because in that big ole box is a thing called pride.

Pride encompasses many aspects of human psychology. It allows us to feel superior, or to demand a position in a station we believe we are entitled to have. Not only is it self destructive, but it creates negative space in any relationship in which we judge someone. When we feel prideful, we enforce a moral code on others that they didn’t choose and may not agree with.

Also inside this big ole box is a thing called wrath. We speak forcefully, especially with those closest to us. This not only nurtures those negative emotions, but it also creates adversity. It stifles personal growth and thus growth in any relationship. It keeps your mood sour and the union you once had now becomes tainted by your inability to think beyond your anger.

So why do we judge? Is it really some ridiculous subconscious desire to be better then everyone else? I don’t know that it’s really that simple, but it does require some thought exercises. First, when you see someone driving like a lunatic, realize and identify your emotions – they cut you off, took your spot, left you in the dust. When you see someone cursing loudly, or screaming in frustration, or in general just disagreeable to you – recognize the emotion you’re putting into it. The effort to let these things slide is much less then holding onto them.

The Power of Thoughts

Our Thoughts Have Power

 

 

When I decided to start this blog, I was and still am in the midst of a massive spiritual awakening. Folks who know me, or rather knew me, would say I was a vitriolic and outspoken critic of faith, religion, God, you name it. If it was anything spiritual, I found a way to dismantle it.

For many years, I had been atheist, but extremely so. A common saying for me at the time was that Religion, Faith and God created slaves of those who sought salvation through it. That it created chains and bound people to it like a massive leech. That it created evil and wickedness that could know no bounds as those bounds were decided upon by a power greater then us.

 

 

 

 

 

What I failed to realize was a very simple point: what I thought, I created. I sought to destroy and dismantle, to irritate and agitate. And in every sense of those words I did just that. I pushed those I loved the most to the brink of collapse, and for a reason that was known only to me – I feared it.

Of course, most folks who disagree with me will call bull on this point – that it’s fear that drives folks to God and religion and faith and spirituality in the first place – but let’s look at that for a moment from a logical perspective. Is it more fearful to destroy that which we do not understand, or to take a massive leap and hope the bottom isn’t that far down?

At this stage in my life, I’d like to say it’s more fearful for the former. It’s actually simpler to surmise there is nothing profound or complex in human spirituality, and in thinking such, we create the reality we choose. It’s easier to call everyone else out, and be the contrarian just for the sake of it, then it is to take that leap and create a reality that nurtures spiritual growth and love. Thoughts are like a stream. We can dam the stream, but eventually the dam will weaken. When we decide to remove the dam, we can really let loose and enjoy our spiritual growth.

Our thoughts really do create who we are – from a spiritual perspective, all the way to career choice and our intimate pairings. What we think we create, what we create we nurture and what we nurture grows – be it for good or ill – and we are left with the consequences. Only by taking the leap, thinking and believing we will make it to the bottom can we truly flourish and grow as a species, and as individuals.