The Primary Addiction

It is present almost everywhere you look—news, blogs, radio, at work, in the home, even in the place of worship. It is seductive, and everyone of us falls prey. I am addicted to it, and so are you. It is the addiction of judgement.

Have you seen the before and after picture of those poor souls who have lost their way to meth addiction? While often beautiful, after a short time they appear to be a different person. Skin lesions, teeth falling out, losing completely the luster that once stood as hallmarks of attraction. Having seen these images, who would embark on that journey? It is the seduction of addiction.

Those who take the path of drug addiction are seduced. The path of judgement is no different. People change just as quickly, just as willing to choose acts that shock those that know them well. Whole religions and many societies are based in it. The addiction of judgement does no less than the addiction of methamphetamines. It destroys the soul, makes it ugly and lives for it’s own perpetuation. It will cause its victims to be willing to sacrifice all that they had loved for its purpose. Make no mistake, you live in danger of its influence.

If you sit on a red hot burner of your stove, you will not have to tell yourself to get off. You instantaneously jump away. The same is true if you come to close to a cliff. This is good news, as it shows the way to release ourselves from the slave master of judgement. Like making the decision to forgive, you do not get to choose it once. It must be done again and again and again.

It is not a destination, but a direction. We can reinforce it through study, and in the process, we realize that we have found a purpose. This discovery means that we must learn an active form of surrender. It does not mean that we do not protect ourselves or stand up for what we believe is right. It does mean that we no longer see those who would attack as evil.

We discover a spirit of gratitude and a lense that looks on heaven rather that a world that appears to be hell. Judgement is insidious and embeds itself behind what we find to be true. It is always a process of coming from outside in rather than inside out. It can make us appear strong when we are weak. It can make us appear beautiful when our true image is no different than the after image of meth addiction.

Judgement chooses death. It never builds but always tears down. It is not evil but an opportunity to realize who we really are. It is my perception that we must choose birth, rather than  destruction. I am working to make this choice today. How about you?