DESTRUCTIVE JUDGEMENT vs. CONSTRUCTIVE DISCERNMENT The word judgement has two almost opposite meanings: It can mean abusive criticism, fault-finding, the inner critic or superego, which has no value for the journey because it is not constructive. It can also mean having good judgement or discernment, the ability to distinguish what is useful for the journey from what is not. This kind of judgement is essential. Discernment also helps to free us from the destructively harsh criticisms of self-judgement. When we grow up to a certain degree, we gain a conscience. We know the difference between right and wrong in our hearts. We do not need the inner critic beating us up all the time and it is absolutely necessary to learn how to defend against this psychic structure that wants to prevent us from ever trying anything new. This kind of judgement just makes people miserable and we need to learn how to tell it to buzz off when it pops up, telling us that we are not good enough or that we are bad or inadequate in some way. Discernment finds the good and praises it and teaches us how to love ourselves in a healthy way. It is not possible to transcend the ego unless we learn to love ourselves. Discernment separates positive qualities from useless or negative habits. That is the first step on the way.
Posted on: Wed, 14 May 2014 11:10:30 +0000
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