I hear the term “Judging” used a lot in sentiments similar to the above. In this usage of the word I feel it mostly misused and misunderstood. It’s one thing to Judge someone/something and it’s another thing to Acknowledge someone/something.
Circular Mentality vs. Linear Mentality Teaching I will state that Judging stems from Linear perspective, whereas Acknowledging comes from a Circular perspective.
I can say ” He drinks a lot of alcohol and it unfavorably affects his health and the life quality of his family and community.” — That is a simple Acknowledgment of facts without emotionalizing or presenting one’s perspective as superior. Acknowledging simply notes the observed facts within a context.
But if I was to say “He’s a loser and drunk who doesn’t give a shit about his family.” — That is a Judging. Notice the labeling “loser” and “drunk.” Use of these labels in this way leaves the average person planted with negative assumptions about said person. Also notice the emotionalism in the statement. Judgments tend to impose perspectives and distort facts that would otherwise lead to a more truthful and wise assessment of a situation.
Let’s take this classic question. A Judgment would be someone declaring it either half-empty or half-full. An Acknowledgment would be declaring where the water level is (in the middle.) In this case I would say: ” The water level is right there.” From there I could decide, on the context of my situation, what I want to do given that fact.
Bringing up the ” Is the glass half-empty or half-full? ” question also brings up a psychological factor. It has been observed through traditional wisdom of many cultures that one tends to speak words that reflect their inner state and relationship with themselves, be it happiness , guilt, love or hate, and so on.
I believe the western scientific study for this is called Psychological Projection. Basically that :
So there’s a Jaguar hunting for, let’s say a Rabbit. The Jaguar is chillin in the tree. It’s quietly and meticulously observing it’s prey. The Jaguar is acknowledging the rabbit’s movements and habits in order to make a calculated move. The Jaguar is not there saying “Oh look at that rabbit it sure is dumb!” or “Damn, that rabbit sure is lazy.” ja ja! You can bet your ass the Jaguar’s not saying that.
You see the difference?
