First of all, we never know all the facts. When someone is an alcoholic, for example, it is because they are seeking to bury a deep pain. Since we don't know the story of that pain, we can't really comment on it.

Judgment also does not help the judged; and it pollutes your own free spirit. It results in gossip, slander, and, if the judger is powerful enough, in persecution.

Second, our view of the world is not the only one that is correct. For a man of one religion, the church of another is not his sacred ground. As Arthur Schopenhauer put it, ?Everyone takes the limits of his own vision for the limits of the world.?

Third, it prevents forgiveness when boundaries are crossed. And resentment corrupts the person who resents, diminishing their good-will and light-heart.

More significantly, however, when we choose to judge another, there is something about ourselves that we are hiding from.

As Carl Jung expressed it, ?Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to a deeper understanding of ourselves.?

The opposite of judgment is the decision to be free. Releasing judgment gives you and the other the opportunity to be free.

We have to understand that with billions of people on the planet, it's going to be remarkable to find a majority who share exactly the same values that you do.

Joan of Arc was burned at the stake because of judgment.

Jesus Christ was crucified because of judgment.

The great pogroms of the world, where millions have been tortured and killed are due to judgment.

Judgment is the energy of intolerance. When exercised fully, it leads to much suffering.

When a law court judges someone, it is not the same thing. This is a completely different meaning of the word. Evidence is collected, reason is marshaled, and decisions are made about an infraction that is based on what is fair in the eyes of the collective rule.

The judgment I refer to, the one with the sinister side, is the condemnation of another for not sharing the same values. This resentment then leads to subtle or overt expressions of hatred. Egalitarianism is often defined as equality before the law, but it may be wiser to broaden this definition to include equality to be free to be different.