Mindfulness to Free Ourselves from Judging

The Two Faces of Judgment: Survival vs. Subjectivity

Judgment is an innate and necessary function of the human mind. Far from being strictly negative, it operates on a spectrum, serving two primary roles: the pragmatic judgment essential for survival and the subjective judgment that often leads to mental suffering and bias.

Pragmatic Judgment: The Mind's Essential Shortcut

This type of judgment is quick, automatic, and rooted in self-preservation. It allows us to navigate the world safely and efficiently.

• Positive/Neutral Assessment: When you see a chair , you instantly judge it to be safe to sit on. When you see a ripe apple, you judge it to be good to eat. This is rapid categorization based on past experience—a positive or neutral assessment that enables action.
• Risk Assessment: If you are driving and quickly judge another car to be moving too fast to merge safely, that is a life-saving, pragmatic judgment. It's a quick calculation of risk and reward based on observable facts (speed, distance).

This kind of judgment is functional; it focuses on what is and how to interact with it safely. It's an indispensable tool for daily life.

Subjective Judgment: The Pitfall of Comparison and Critique

The negative connotation of judgment stems from the subjective, comparative, and often critical assessments we make about people, situations, and ourselves. This form of judgment moves beyond facts and imposes personal interpretations, opinions, and moral superiority.

• Comparison and Value: This is when we observe a person and instantly judge their clothes, accent, or job, assigning a positive or negative value based on our cultural norms or personal preferences. It's less about safety and more about "better than" or "worse than."
• Creating Emotional Turbulence: Subjective judgment is the engine of emotional suffering. Judging a colleague as "lazy" or a situation as "unfair" creates internal tension, anger, or resentment. We are not just observing reality; we are fighting it by overlaying it with our critical opinions.

The key difference is that pragmatic judgment is about interaction; subjective judgment is about criticism.

Mindfulness: Experiencing Reality Without the Judge

The core practice of mindfulness is designed to weaken the habit of subjective judgment, allowing us to simply experience life as it unfolds. It does not eliminate the necessary, pragmatic judgments, but it stops the mind from adding a layer of critical commentary to every moment.

1. Non-Judgmental Awareness

Mindfulness trains us to observe our thoughts, feelings, and sensations without evaluation.

• The "That-ness" of Things: Instead of labeling a feeling as "good" or "bad," mindfulness asks you to describe it purely: a pressure in the chest, a rapid thought about a deadline, the sound of a horn. This practice bypasses the subjective judge and goes straight to the sensory data, accepting the "that-ness" of the experience.
• Noticing the Judge: When you meditate, the judging mind will inevitably pop up: "This meditation is boring," or "I'm bad at this." Mindfulness teaches you to simply notice the thought as a thought—"Ah, that's the judging thought again"—and gently return to the breath. You are judging the judgment without getting caught up in its content.

2. Creating the Pause

The interval created by mindfulness practice disrupts the automatic chain reaction from stimulus to subjective judgment to emotional reaction.

• Decoupling: By observing the feeling (e.g., irritation) as a purely physical sensation before labeling it (e.g., "This person is a jerk"), you decouple the raw experience from the critical story. This space prevents the immediate, negative judgment from taking hold.
• Greater Freedom: When you are no longer defined by your quick, subjective assessments, you gain emotional freedom. You can acknowledge the presence of a fact (e.g., "This driver cut me off") without adding the fuel of a subjective condemnation (e.g., "He is a terrible, selfish person"). This allows you to respond to reality with clarity and peace, rather than simply reacting with stress or anger.

Conclusion

Several times a day we make judgments on people and objects. "He's a nice person.", "That outfit doesn't work on her.", "I don't like the color of that car.", "This dessert doesn't taste good." These subtle judgements affect our mood and our well being. Through mindfulness, we can learn to set judgment aside and simply view things as experiences. Whether we like something/someone or not, mindfulness teaches us that this is irrelevant - that everything is what it is and we don't have to toss our emotions around as we judge the value, meaning, or usefulness of those things.