Who Are You To Judge?

I ran into this question many times over my life. So have you, I am sure.  It was a very popular question in the late 60's and its purpose seemed to be to shut down any argument. As I recall, it was used often and effectively. But the premise is flawed.

We humans make lots of judgments. We are taught to by our parents, by our teachers, by the policemen who were seemingly everywhere in my youth. We were to judge our own behavior, our motives, our thoughts about just about everything. It is the basic ingredient in what we call a conscience. Steal or not steal? Lie or not lie? Cheat on your girlfriend or boyfriend or be true? Live up to a promise or not? We always judge ourselves.

And, yet, we were also taught to "judge not, lest ye be judged."  A silliness (in my opinion) that is an important tenet of Christian religion. Because, after all is said and done, its adherents believe they will be judged. And isn't that the point?

After some contemplation, I came to understand that it meant one should not judge others. But that went against the lessons of my youth, too.  We were judged by the quality of our friends, the kids we hung around with. In my case... in my teens... they were hoodlums and troublemakers. And, so, I was deemed a trouble-making little hoodlum too. And then there was my brother; two years older than me, he preceded me through school, poisoning the teachers', the principal's, and the dean's view of me. The first time I ended up in the dean's office in junior high, he asked me if I was going to be as much trouble for him as my brother had been. There was, in his tone, the resigned belief that I would be.

I was judged in boot camp by the morons the company commander put in charge. I was judged by anyone and everyone. I have been judged by the girls I dated, by their parents, by bosses and potential bosses. I have become used to being judged.

In fact, isn't the title question a judgment itself?