Written By Alan Good
We go about our day and possibly wonder why things and people seem against us. We appear to be in an uphill climb. It may be a battle out there, but you can be the victor.
Ask yourself, “How do I view others?” Another way of asking this is, “Do I judge others?” Do you look at people, and situations, and decide what they are like? We all judge others. It’s human. But not healthy.
“The choice to judge is the cause of our loss of peace, and therefore when we meet ourselves and everyone else without judgment, we will experience a release and a sense of peace so deep that it will be beyond anything we could possibly imagine,” says Gabrielle Bernstein in her book, “Judgment Detox: Release the Beliefs That Hold You Back from Living A Better Life”
When we judge others, we hurt ourselves. Judgement is the opposite of forgiveness. When we forgive, we release them and ourselves.
Change requires, first, that the cause be identified and second, let go. Then it can be replaced. The first two steps in this process require your cooperation. The final one does not.
What is the cause? Is it perhaps our ego getting involved and blowing things up? Looking through eyes of love, rather than of self, clarifies and offers a true picture of the situation. Forgiving others frees us from the burden of judging them.
“When you welcome forgiveness, you’re relinquishing fear and remembering love,” Bernstein states.
“Whenever you notice yourself go into a place of judgment, the practice is simply to pivot. The moment you witness yourself react with ego and judge, stop yourself and gently expose your ego to your inner guide.”
This requires being present and watching ourselves each moment. Seeing the judgment and knowing in our hearts that it’s not the choice we want. See it clearly for what it is: a wrong-minded choice of the ego. Quickly choose again. Make the practice of forgiveness a habit.
Be careful not to judge yourself at these times. Be gentle with your reactions. Be willing to bring judgement to the light. The ego will do everything in its power to justify it. Sometimes your ego’s arguments will be convincing. But the pathway to forgiveness is to expose your ego’s illusions to the light.
“The quickest pathway to living in the light is to recognize the light wherever you are,” Bernstein assures. “See the light in your terrifying, tyrannical boss. See the light in your cheating ex. See the light in the murderer on the news. Call on compassion.”
Each time you recognize the light in another, the world is healed. In doing so, we can fulfil our purpose here on earth: to be the light and see the light in others.
“Love will enter immediately into any mind that truly wants it, but it must want it truly,” adds Bernstein.
Each time your mind wanders into judgment, ask yourself, “Am I willing to be free?” And here’s a bonus; you may find that you’re grateful for your past experiences because they’ve gotten you to this point. We become grateful for the discomfort we have had in the past and accept that each experience and ego challenge has been a part of our journey back to love.
