When I first decided to practice being non-judgmental, I thought it would be pretty easy. After all, it was just about letting people have their own opinions, and not calling them an idiot when they didn’t agree with me, right?
I later discovered that was only the tip of the iceberg.
The practice of non-judgment really wasn’t as much about allowing others to have their own opinions as it was seeing the divine nature behind their behaviors. Practicing non-judgment meant embracing the understanding that no matter how harmful or inappropriate someone’s behavior may be, I needed to remember we are all from the same Source; they don’t have any less Source energy than I do.
This was where it got hard for me. I wanted to offer advice when others were not behaving like I thought they should. I wanted to give them the “you should….” speech, and get them all straightened out. I wanted them to understand I had the answers, because I’m so smart, and practice non-judgment, and if they listened to me they could fly right again.
But what I realized was that every time I started off a conversation with “you should…” I was actually being arrogant. Who am I to decide I know better than the force that works through them? Who am I to assume I know what’s best for someone else?
Practicing non-judgment is really about seeing the Light (Source energy) in another person, and trusting how that Light works through them; they already have the power within them to help them through any situation. It’s about seeing that Light for them, even when they don’t. They don’t need me barging in on their experience and barking out orders to them on how to live their life and be a better person – they just need me to see their Light; to be their witness.
But then I discovered that practicing non-judgment doesn’t stop there!
Non-judgment is also being able to look at the world, and see beauty. If I see a world I think is effed up, I’ve judged it and limited it (judging limits things – another thing I had to learn)! Again, who am I to decide how the world should be, or what’s best for everyone based on my opinions and perceptions? That same Source that created me works through the world – every part of it – so every part of the world is a potential channel for a greater expression of Light.
That doesn’t mean there’s not room for improvement. We can love and appreciate something, and still improve upon it. But to hate something because I’m not happy with it limits me!
Wanting to “fix” everything is really just a sign of fear, and that fear reminds me that I come from something greater, and the person, or situation that instills fear in me also comes from something greater. Source energy works through me, and through them, and through every situation.
Practicing non-judgment has taught me more about trust than anything else; I don’t have to have all the answers, and I don’t have to fix anything, because the same Light that created the Universe is also working through everyone else.
And I trust that Light.
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