We are all born judging. It’s in our nature and is a core part of humanity. Judgment, by its very definition, stems from 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 the truth until only a pure product remains. It should come as no surprise that it dominates western society given how much support it lends to individual pursuits and institutional stability. It 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 too lies in our nature, but requires a conscious effort and commitment that does not come effortlessly without practice. To understand is to actively put aside our preconceptions, beliefs, and truths, so that space can be made for new ideas and perspectives. Where judgment seeks a consistent and complete picture of everything, understanding permits subjectivity and gives rise to the beauty of multiple perspectives. A drive to understanding is the essence of the curious spirit, the part of us which sees walls of unrelenting knowledge, and asks: What is beyond here, what else don’t we know yet, what might we learn, and what might forever be beyond our knowledge? It’s this curiosity that forms bonds and shows us the exit to zealotry, and although we aren’t born understanding, a spark of curiosity is all we need to pursue it.
Understanding and judgement are not enemies though. Just as the walls which hold back the elements can become prisons, judgement shields us from obvious lies as much as it keeps us from exploring the green fields of free thought. Understanding opens the door, but when left to its own devices, we can become unmoored and ungrounded, lost without a way back. To judge is to seek safety and refuge in the known, and to understand is to risk losing that which we hold to be dear in search of a greater truth. As with all great powers of the mind, balance is the only way to proceed.