Judgment and Discernment

Do we need to judge things or people to function and survive? 

A client of mine and I dove into this discussion about a year ago: It was an intriguing conversation, and it prompted us to both look at it more in-depth. 

One way I perceive it - is our mind evaluates, and our soul loves.

We can look at something with pure love, but in reality, not everyone is operating in the best interest or for our highest good, so it is up to us to decide what is right for us. 

Every day, we are surrounded by judgments, whether from TV, the media, social media, or in our minds.

Outside influences also play a big part in how we see things: our parents, friends, social circles, school, and our community. 

It can cloud how we view things, with outside influences creating a filter that perhaps doesn't always align with who we are on a deep level. 

These filters project what is Good or Bad. Right or Wrong. Fun or Boring. Easy or Difficult. Beautiful or less than. Thriving or not successful. Perfect body, too skinny or oversized. 

Society is attached to categorizing and comparing. 

While it is good to have self-awareness around judgment, we need to distinguish things.

In reality, people do certain things greater than others. Not everyone is a great artist, although we can all enjoy creating our art. Not everyone is an awarding winning chef, but we can all have fun exploring in the kitchen. I'm a wannabe interior decorator. However, I decorate for fun, not to make a living from it. You get my drift. :) 

We can't avoid altogether distinguishing things from each other.

Suppose we feel pressured to allow everyone as they are, regardless of their behavior, into our life. In that case, we can fall into allowing hurtful behavior or unmotivated people who are causing harm to our business. 

However, if we are not supposed to judge, we still need to know from right or wrong, good or bad, what do we do? We can use discernment.

What is the difference?
Discernment may seem like judgment, but there is a difference between these two approaches. Here are perspectives of the difference between the two to better shine some light. 

Judgment is an opinion or estimate. A criticism or censure. Power of comparing or deciding.

Judgment can feed the Ego's illusion of being better (or worse) than someone or something else. 

Judgment usually comes from a reactive place inside of us. It's sort of like a knee-jerk reaction that causes a muscle to result in a sudden involuntary extension to the leg when struck. It's unconscious. 

We all know the feeling of being judged by another person. It can push us away. 

Discernment:  Unlike judgment, discernment is a more personal and conscious approach. It's the cognitive ability to distinguish what is appropriate or inappropriate when making a decision. 

We tap into insight that is deeper than the Ego's passing judgment. It's the ability to perceive clarity from our inner self (true-self) and not from the outer world with rigid standards, opinions, or social pressures.

With discernment, we can make good choices for ourselves and the highest good for others.

Wishing you a beautiful week of choosing what is best for YOU grounded in your authentic power. 

Lots of love. xo

Francine