Judge more. Yes, JUDGE

You don't need anything other than the clearest justice for yourself

The Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh emphasized a point, stating:

“Don’t judge yourself and don’t judge others. Just be present, and the rest will follow.”

In essence, Zen teaches that judgment is a barrier to true understanding, and it invites us to embrace a state of open-hearted awareness, free from unnecessary critique.

It is an appealing view, and it suggests that enlightenment, or "true understanding," isn’t about seeing the world through a lens of judgment, but about engaging with the world directly, without attaching unnecessary labels of good or bad, right or wrong.

At the same time, it's relevant to see that projecting our own set of beliefs onto situations does not bring solutions, largely because of the imperfect nature of our own personal foundations.

But I see that there's a potential trap in this effort of avoiding judgment altogether. I deeply value Zen, but it doesn’t mean we couldn’t question the teachings.

Is it possible that we are alienating a part of our truth, a part of our dignity, while avoiding the path of judgment simply because we don't want to be judgmental?

In other words, are we alienating ourselves and submitting to others because we are avoiding being judgmental? Are we avoiding confrontation with ourselves by adhering to self-imposed values of "openness" and trying to see others only through our lens?

Well, it’s impossible to avoid some kind of lens. Every act of observation is an act of interpretation to some extent. Even when we promise the world we are not categorizing or judging, we are. All the time.

We think we aren’t because we want to be respectful, to avoid invading someone else's space, or simply because we don’t want to act out of prejudice.

But judging others doesn’t necessarily mean we are falling into those traps. In fact, we must redefine the act of judging others, because it is crucial to retain this skill to evaluate our relationships and navigate life with greater truth to ourselves.

Judging is about selecting better, defining right and wrong. Judging is deciding what’s best—not only for you, but for your society, your company, your immediate friends and family, for example.

Don’t act at your own expense. Be the judge of your life so you don’t end up both defendant and executioner at the hands of wicked, vile, and sadistic people. Refine your verdicts.

If you ever feel guilty, keep this feeling close enough to remind you not to make reckless mistakes again, but don’t let it consume you. Strengthen yourself, but don’t let yourself off the hook completely. Get up and move forward.

Judge more. Yes, JUDGE.

Calibrate the hammer and justify your sentences with the clearest justice for yourself.

Because you deserve to have only the good ones and the good vibrations around you.

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