I try not to judge. The problem with that lies in the fact that one must make a judgement in order to reach a decision. Many people misinterpret a common Biblical reference, Judge not, that ye be not judged. The judgement being referenced there is the judgement of God. Only God can judge your sin and whether you are worthy to enter his house. In other words, I can make a judgement about another person's actions or words and that is all it is, an opinion. Only God can judge. That is to say, the final decision lies with him/her. Harsh or severe "judgements" on my part may be used in deciding my own judgement, that is the "lest ye be not judged part." I say this as a word of explanation. I am not condemning anyone with my opinions, that condemnation rests with a greater power than my own.
I was thinking about that as I was working yesterday. I see a young mother with a small child in her shopping cart. The child is fussing a bit as she struggles with sorting out her WIC checks. She is also obviously pregnant. She is paying no attention to the child at all, just muttering, be quiet. She turns to ask me a question regarding what food stuffs she may " purchase " and I notice a large neck tattoo. This tat stretches down her neck and onto her chest. I wonder how much that thing cost ! She apparently can not afford to feed her child without assistance but yet this tattoo ? That is where I try not to judge. I run through a series of scenarios as to why this could be. Maybe she was laid off, maybe her " husband " , I saw no ring, couldn't find employment, maybe she got that tattoo as a gift from someone else. They all sounded like excuses to me but that is because I had already " judged " the situation. When making a judgement call it is best to go with the odds however. I am not blind or stupid. Will that judgement cause me to be judged likewise ? No I don't believe it will. I have done nothing to harm that person, I did not present my judgement to her. These are judgements we all make everyday. It is a prudent person that makes such judgements. The problem lies in the application of condemnation. I have no right to condemn. I do have a moral obligation to address the problem. And in that obligation lies the real issue. How to do that. Just giving this person everything is not helping. Isn't that " enabling ? " Assistance implies that you are helping. In order to be helping that other person must also be working on the issue. It is when we do not see that mutual effort that we make these judgements. Isn't that the real problem ?
It is this moral dilemma that our society is struggling with today. Some are trying to deal with it by using Biblical references. Some are just giving " enabling " in the belief that they are commanded to do so. Others are abandoning the whole God concept altogether, thus eliminating any moral justification. Some are just exploiting the situation. What is the answer ? If I knew that I would be the smartest guy on earth. I am with the rest of you, I just don't know. I try not to judge, but pointing out the obvious is not judgement, it is fact ! The fact is there are far too many that are using the system to their advantage. The problem lies in judging which ones. That leads me back to my first statement, I try not to judge. I do have a thought. Perhaps those receiving this " assistance " should be required to show how they are working to improve their situation ? Wait, that has been proposed and rejected as being discriminatory. Sorry, there I go again, making judgements.
I was thinking about that as I was working yesterday. I see a young mother with a small child in her shopping cart. The child is fussing a bit as she struggles with sorting out her WIC checks. She is also obviously pregnant. She is paying no attention to the child at all, just muttering, be quiet. She turns to ask me a question regarding what food stuffs she may " purchase " and I notice a large neck tattoo. This tat stretches down her neck and onto her chest. I wonder how much that thing cost ! She apparently can not afford to feed her child without assistance but yet this tattoo ? That is where I try not to judge. I run through a series of scenarios as to why this could be. Maybe she was laid off, maybe her " husband " , I saw no ring, couldn't find employment, maybe she got that tattoo as a gift from someone else. They all sounded like excuses to me but that is because I had already " judged " the situation. When making a judgement call it is best to go with the odds however. I am not blind or stupid. Will that judgement cause me to be judged likewise ? No I don't believe it will. I have done nothing to harm that person, I did not present my judgement to her. These are judgements we all make everyday. It is a prudent person that makes such judgements. The problem lies in the application of condemnation. I have no right to condemn. I do have a moral obligation to address the problem. And in that obligation lies the real issue. How to do that. Just giving this person everything is not helping. Isn't that " enabling ? " Assistance implies that you are helping. In order to be helping that other person must also be working on the issue. It is when we do not see that mutual effort that we make these judgements. Isn't that the real problem ?
It is this moral dilemma that our society is struggling with today. Some are trying to deal with it by using Biblical references. Some are just giving " enabling " in the belief that they are commanded to do so. Others are abandoning the whole God concept altogether, thus eliminating any moral justification. Some are just exploiting the situation. What is the answer ? If I knew that I would be the smartest guy on earth. I am with the rest of you, I just don't know. I try not to judge, but pointing out the obvious is not judgement, it is fact ! The fact is there are far too many that are using the system to their advantage. The problem lies in judging which ones. That leads me back to my first statement, I try not to judge. I do have a thought. Perhaps those receiving this " assistance " should be required to show how they are working to improve their situation ? Wait, that has been proposed and rejected as being discriminatory. Sorry, there I go again, making judgements.
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