In my previous post I wrote about God, The Judge.  The just, merciful and gracious judge.  That aspect of judge and judgment is in a league of its own.  It’s all taken care of.  God’s judgment is complete.  Case closed (haha).

Lately, it’s man’s judgment that I find myself thinking about.  I listen to the news, think about our world and find myself wondering…

Where’s the judgment?  Good judgment.  People react, become emotional, even outraged, without seeming to have spent a moment on reflection, fact gathering or assessment.  I call this lack of judgment.  Please be clear.  Judgment is not gossip, petty speech designed to belittle or “foolish talk”.  “Judgment” as defined in The Merriam-Webster Dictionary is  the act or process of forming an opinion or making a decision after careful thought.

Again, where is the judgment?  There’s a lot of “foolish talk” jamming the airways and polluting our world.  Sadly, this talk accomplishes nothing useful.  Anyone can find an outlet overflowing with foolish talk, tailor made to appeal to any worldview.  Anger and frustration flow unchecked.  An illusion of  satisfaction develops, growing from having vented to an audience that was convinced at “hello”.  This is tragic because it means that very few challenge and very few are challenged.  The intention necessary for true judgment is not exerted.  People get stuck on indignation, never graduating to sober, balanced judgment.

So what?  Why judgement?  Because the act of judging a situation confirms who you are and what you believe.  When one takes the time to ponder a situation, the fruit is less extreme and more thoughtful.  Good judgement is an indicator of character.  As judgments are made, boundaries are simultaneously set.  Ultimately, judgment is important as it affects who we vote for, what we stand for and even in many cases how we spend our money.

When clear, sober judgment is at play, an awareness of nuance develops.  This awareness of nuance is necessary for examining the many statements that are made and tossed around so often, they become accepted as truth.  For example, objecting to policemen killing unarmed citizens (criminal or otherwise) is not a stand against the institution of law enforcement, any more than expressing distaste for rapists is a stand against men.

Please assess, contemplate, then judge.  Exercise the little used (of late) impartiality muscle.  If we all do this, the world will be a better place.  Don’t take my word for it.  You be the judge!!  haha

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