Theos-Talk Archives (October 2006 Message tt00336)

What is a human being? Is it the congery of body and personality that 
goes blundering ignorantly around treading on tender sentient life 
wherever it goes, oblivious and apparently uncaring, like an arrogant 
teen-ager? Or is it a transcendant and eternal being, attempting to 
learn life's lessons through the clumsy form that is all karma can so 
far allow? 

If we think it is acceptable to behave as judge jury and executioner 
of our fellow man, we are likely to be in the dock ourselves one day. 
Who among us is perfect, can truly say, given the conditions and 
abilities of that man, I would behave differently than he does? 
Honestly now. What great teacher or teaching ever recommended 
singling out who among us is deserving and who is not? 

If we see someone who errs, what can we feel but compassion for them, 
knowing full well that they will pay the price some day? But if we 
choose to judge them, condemn them, put ourselves over them, we too 
will pay the price, and we will deserve the compassion of our 
fellows, who see how egregiously we err. 

Nobody says we must follow stupidly. We are told to think for 
ourselves. Nobody says we must live without discretion, lest we 
endanger those who depend upon us for safety. But nobody who matters 
ever said we should take it upon ourselves to decide who is worthy 
and who is not in any essential way. The most degraded member of the 
human family may one day stand up, his karmic debt paid, and become 
the saviour of many. 

Adelasie

On 24 Oct 2006 at 13:32, Mark Hamilton Jr. wrote:

> In what cases is it wrong to judge another human being? In a social 
> context, it's unacceptable to judge a person before you know them 
> (despite this method's popularity); it's considered prejudice. However, 
> since knowing a person in all respects is nearly impossible in all 
> practicality, is it therefore unacceptable to ever judge anyone? This 
> doesn't seem to be the case, since one does judge almost everything. It 
> helps make things more concrete and understandable.
> 
> I know for some of us, we would preach universal brotherhood out the 
> nose, but I bet none of you would shake the hand of Hitler if presented 
> with the challenge. I believe it's truly unacceptable when we condemn or 
> praise another being in the utmost of ignorance, and then act upon it in 
> a way to affect a person's freedoms.
> 
> So Joseph McCarthy and Nathaniel Hawthorne weren't so savory, either.
> 
> -Mark H.
>