We are all born understanding but in time all we can recall is judgement. It’s in our nature, and is a core part of humanity, for judgement stems from comparison between what we find to be true and what we want to be true (two variables which are rarely aligned), and it is far easier to judge than to understand. It’s an approach to conflict which seeks to destroy and refine reality until only a pure truth remains. It should come as no surprise that it dominates Western society given how much support it lends to individual pursuits and institutional stability, and even Eastern society is not immune despite millennia of religion espousing the contrary. It’s understandable, for judgement helps us stay grounded in facts and reason, yet unfortunately, it also builds walls around our hearts, and eventually insulates us from the very truths it seeks to uphold. Contrast this with understanding.
Understanding too lies in our nature, but in time, we lose our grip, and it comes to require a conscious will 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 judgement 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 which sees walls of unyielding knowledge, and asks: What is beyond here, what else don’t we know yet, what could we learn, and what might forever be beyond our grasp? This curiosity is what forms bonds between hearts and shows us the exit to zealotry, and although it fades with time, a spark of curiosity is all we need to rekindle it.
Despite all this, understanding and judgement are not enemies. Just as the walls of a prison hold back the elements while keeping us confined, judgement shields us from obvious lies as much as it stops us from exploring the green fields of free thought. While understanding opens the door to growth, when left to its own devices, it can become unmoored and ungrounded: overgrown and lost without a way back. To judge is to seek safety and refuge in the known, and to understand is to risk losing that we hold dear in search of a greater truth. Both need each other, and as with all great powers of the mind, the only way to proceed is balance. That balance begins with acceptance of both: recognition that judgement is far easier than understanding but has its place; commitment to consider the truths of others especially when they conflict with our own; and acceptance that we must forever hold onto the possibility that our convictions could be wrong. If we can find a way to manage judgement while retaining our understanding, no truth or connection is forever beyond our grasp.