The Personal Website of Mark W. Dawson

Who are you to judge?

Judge not, that ye be not judged.
For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
- Matthew 7:1-3 King James Version (KJV)

These words of wisdom from the Bible are not to say that you should not judge others, but a reminder that when you make a judgment you will be judged by the standard you have set for others. They are also a reminder that before you judge others you should examine your own life and take your own life into consideration when making a judgment.

We all make judgments in our life. Whether it be who we wish to associate with, to whom we wish to engage in commercial transactions (both goods purchased, and services retained), to the guilt or innocence of someone when we serve as jurors on a trial. These judgments are necessary for the proper functioning of society. We often judge by the words and deeds, the behaviors and actions, to even the appearance of others. It is how we make these judgments that are important, not that we make these judgments.

If you have led a legal, moral, and ethical life then you may judge others based on your legal, moral, and ethical values. If you have not lived this life but have changed your life for the better, and are repentant, then you may judge others based on your changed life. If you are still leading an illegal, immoral, or unethical life you do not have the right to judge others. For those who would respond that if you have done ill in the past then you have no right to judge others I would remind you of one of my “Truisms”:

Just because you have committed an unlawful, immoral, unethical, or unwise act, and upon reflection determine that it is an unlawful, immoral, unethical, or unwise act, does not preclude you from speaking out against others committing that unlawful, immoral, unethical, or unwise act. It does not make you a hypocrite, it makes you repentant.
  - Mark Dawson

You also need to take into account my observation of “The Sins of the Fathers and of Youth” when judging a young person. There is also the question of forgiveness. For those that have had lapses of illegal, immoral, or unethical behavior, and who have turned their life around, then forgiveness of their past words, deeds, behaviors, and actions is appropriate.

When making a judgment you should also make sure that you have all the facts of the situation, for without all the facts it is most likely that you will make a poor judgment. In this it is best to remember one of my “Principles”:

There are three sides to every story; one side, the other side, and the truth. It is best to discover the truth before making up your mind.

It is not always possible to discover all of the facts, but you should try to gather as many of the facts before you make a judgment of others. You should also remember another of my “Truisms”:

Perfection is reserved for God, humans should strive to do their best.
  - Mark Dawson

Do not expect people to be perfect and do not make a judgment based on perfection. If someone is trying to do their best they should be commended for the effort and forgiven if they do not achieve their best.

We often make judgments based on what a person says and do not pay enough attention to what they do. It is more important as to what a person does, as often the doing will significantly impact others, while the sayings have minimal impacts on others. Impacts of a positive manner are to be commended, while impacts of a negative manner should be condemned. And these positive and negative impacts should factor into your judgments. You should also remember the wisdom of the following:

Well done is better than well said.
  - Benjamin Franklin

Do not be too judgmental if someone has changed their mind. Be reminded of the following:

For having lived long, I have experienced many instances of being obliged by better information, or fuller consideration, to change opinions even on important subjects, which I once thought right, but found to be otherwise. It is therefore that the older I grow, the more apt I am to doubt my own judgment, and to pay more respect to the judgment of others.
  - Benjamin Franklin

If someone has changed their mind based on better information and/or fuller consideration than you should have a better opinion of the person after they have explained their reasoning. If no reasoning is given, or if the reasons are deficient, or appear to be for the purposes of the person to gain an advantage then you should make a negative judgment on the person.

For those who would say that all are innocent until proven guilty I would respond that this is absolutely important – in a legal sense. When a person sits in judgement of another during criminal or civil proceedings they must always presume the defendant is innocent until they are proven guilty. As the defendant may have their life, liberty, or property taken if found guilty they need this presumption to assure that justice is served. But the judgments that I have been discussing are not those made in a judicial proceeding but in private actions or the court of public opinion. The standard of guilt in these arenas is much less but is still important. You should initially presume innocence and not rush to judgment. Be careful in your considerations and utilize a standard of judgment as appropriate for the offense alleged. This standard of judgment may be reasonable doubt, preponderance of the evidence, or more likely than not. You should also remember that nobody may be required to prove a negative (prove you didn't do or say something) as it is impossible to prove a negative, and the burden of proof is always upon the person or persons making an allegation. But once you have taken into account all of these considerations it is acceptable to make a judgment. In the court of public opinion you should be more circumspect as the accused stands to possibly lose their reputation, employment, wealth, and even family and friends based on the allegations. These court of public opinion allegations should not be taken lightly or hastily and without credible, verifiable, and substantiated evidence of wrongdoing. It is only after this information is available that you should make your judgment. To do so otherwise would cause serious harm to the accused as well as the social fabric of our society. My article on "The Rule of Law" examines this issue in more detail.

What then, are the criteria that should be utilized for judgment? Legal, moral, and ethical behavior are the best criteria for judgment. As to what is legal, moral, and ethical behavior we can say that anyone who violates the human rights of another should be judged negatively. As to legal violations it depends on the nature of the crime. Felonies should almost always be a basis for a negative judgment while misdemeanors should be judged less harshly and many times be forgiven based on circumstances. Some felonies and misdemeanors are known as "wobblers", in that they could be either one based on the judgment of the prosecutor. For the "wobblers" you need to determine the seriousness of the offense and its impact on the victim or society in making your judgment. We also have the Ten Commandments of the Bible that is an excellent guide for human behavior and as a basis for judgment. We also have only the wisdom of the great philosophers, ethicists, and theologians to guide us. In all these items it can be said that legality, morality, and ethics are not relative and that each person does not get to choose what is legal, moral, or ethical for themselves. To make legality, morality, and ethics relative is to create anarchy within society. And anarchy leads to the destruction of society, the violation of human rights, and unjust, immoral, and unethical behavior of all. I, therefore, will make judgments of others based on legal, moral, and ethical grounds, and the previously defined methods of making judgments, to preserve a decent society.

Therefore, it is proper for you to make judgments on others if you utilize the proper methods and criteria for judgment. But in all judgments, you should judge wisely lest you be judged on your unwise judgments.