In all the years I have been active in the sacred teaching of Forgiveness, one of the biggest lessons I have learned is the practice of non-judgment.
Forgiveness and non-judgment are two sides of living in peace. Forgiveness, according to Dr. Rev. Michelle Wadleigh, is “the conscious decision to value peace of mind and heart over any righteousness.” (taken from the Forgiveness Book glossary). A very valuable lesson for the world today. I know in my own life, when I learned to let go and forgive, I became a happier and more peaceful person. Harboring unforgiveness can be toxic to one’s life if we are not careful and mindful of our attitude towards others.
Non-judgment is a precursor to forgiving. According to Rev. Michelle’s book on Forgiveness:
This non-judgment practice we are speaking of is the one that asks you to notice who you judge, when you judge, why you judge, and the response you have from judging.
Watching our judgments makes it easier for us to stay in the consciousness of Forgiveness. If we look at judgments as a way that we condemn ourselves and others, we can understand the need for non-judgment.
Most discrimination and prejudice stem from judging others unfairly. How often, throughout our history as a country or community, have we left people out of our circle because of their race, skin color, or religious beliefs? So many divisions arise from judging someone, even when we may not know them. And because we judge them, we need to forgive ourselves for our slanted thinking.
So how do we avoid judging? We need to be mindful of the thinking that leads us to react, judge, and become opinionated. It is so much more effective to stop judging ourselves and others than to dwell on that pattern. But we are human! And for some reason, we are attracted to, and even addicted to, gossiping, which is group judgment. Rather than fall into that trap, try being curious about a person or their action.
I was once told that we would have little to forgive if we could stop or at least limit our judgments. In addition, we would lead more peaceful lives. I have found this to be true in my own life. The practice of non-judgment has become easier for me the longer I have practiced it. I am sure this would be true for you as well.