We are all born judging. It’s in our nature and is a natural part of humanity. Judgement, by its very nature, is a comparison between what we know to be true and what we see to be true. It’s an approach to conflict which seeks to destroy and refine until only a pure truth remains. It should come as no surprise that it dominates society given how much support it lends to individual pursuits and institutional stability. Judging helps us stay grounded in facts and reason. Yet it also builds walls around our hearts and eventually draws us away from the very truth it seeks to uphold.
Contrast this with understanding.
None of us are born understanding. It’s in our nature but requires a conscious effort and commitment that does not come naturally. To understand is to actively put aside our preconceptions, beliefs, and truths, so that space can be made for new ideas and perspectives. Where judgement seeks consistency and a complete picture of everything, understanding permits subjectivity and gives rise to the beauty of multiple perspectives. A drive to deep understanding is the essence of the curious spirit which sees walls of unrelenting knowledge, and asks, what is beyond here? What else don’t we know yet? What might we learn? Might something beyond our knowledge one day crumble to reveal greater truths we have yet to even consider? We aren’t born understanding, but we can learn to pursue it.
Understanding and judgement are not enemies though. Just as the walls which imprison us hold back the elements, judgement shields us from obvious lies as much as it keeps us from exploring the green fields of free thought. To judge is to seek safety and refuge in the known, and the understand is to risk losing that which we hold to be dear.