When you judge someone else, you are running from doing your own internal work...

I was scrolling through my Facebook home feed, and I saw a friend of mine post about how religious people are usually the most judgmental.

I understood her point, and so I validated her feelings...because yes, they were in fact accurate. And she's not crazy for feeling the way she feels. I was raised by Ministers of the "Gospel" so I know how frustrating it can be when self-righteous people fail to check their own fruit.

But now, I can honestly say that I'm thankful for all of my confusion and irritation with the repetitive contradictions...and it's because it honestly propelled me forward.

I've always been destined for expanded consciousness. I've always been a "seeker" of truth. And not just subjective truth, but objective truth. I have an obsession for connecting the dots and understanding the bigger picture. I don't like to fuss over a mere fraction of a part.

I used to be insecure. I used to feel weird about how I think: It didn't take rocket science to figure out that the people around me aren't exactly on the same page. Some people feed on conflict...I crave peace.

Ironically, I can definitely see why I had to journey through conflict in order to find actual peace. And I've found that sometimes I cause conflict because I'm fighting with those who have a knack for disturbing the peace.

It's humbling...the cycle. I've learned that to truly be at peace means being able to calm your own storm...even if the storm is trying to knock you down on purpose. Having peace means not yielding to a storm's level, but ascending to a point that tames the literal storm.

Sorry, I like word play...but not sorry at the same time because I'm done apologize for appreciating the depth that exists even in simplicity. It's why Master Yoda's one liners are so powerful:

Yup, that's right Master Yoda. Luminous beings are we.

Now, because I'm a sucker for context, let's take note of what the word luminous means.

A bright shining light violently penetrates the dark. Have you ever noticed how a person who is full of joy and laughing makes a person going through a hard time feel uncomfortable? The people dealing with whatever challenges probably feel like the joyful person hasn't been through a single hardship.

I'm proud to say I've noticed a pattern that would be a walking pimp slap to some people: A lot of times it's the people who have been through literally the worst kinds of hell who are in fact the most joyful.

Yeah, so this actually brings me right back to the point I wanted to make: It's foolish to judge. The eyes deceive, and you don't have the whole story, so why not just focus on your own walk?

With that being said, in order to expand on this point, I took a screenshot and shared my original Facebook comment as an Instagram post, and then I wrote a caption to illustrate the message further:

I've noticed that people from all backgrounds are drawn to positive, luminous, or "light-filled" energy. And I think that's the point that indoctrinated people miss. And I know this because I have missed the point before, which is why I can speak on this from a place of understanding.

For whatever reason, we keep judging one another based on a set of rules. And if a person doesn't follow those rules, we call them less than and consider ourselves greater than.

Why do we do this???

Maybe it's because we got scolded for asking why as a child.

I mean...I could be wrong, but I'm just saying that because I know I got scolded for it. And thankfully I'm at the place where I no longer resent my parents: I understand they did the best they could with what they were taught. There was a time someone in their lives made them afraid to question things too...

That's why so much healing happens when you take the time to understand that people are always doing the very best they can.

And that's how you can release yourself from the stress that comes with other people's judgment. It's just ignorance...just them not knowing any better. I know people cringe when they hear the word ignorant, but it literally just means not knowing any better...and a lot of people literally have no clue that they are coming off the way they are.

People only judge and condemn other people when they think they are doing the right thing.

And if anything, I feel for those people the most because they are giving away their own power and dedicating their energy to something external when the wise thing to do would be to invest that energy inward. That's what would create the most lasting change anyway.

When you work on yourself, you automatically emit the kind of energy that transforms those around you.

So when in doubt, address your own energy.

Peace and Love

Raven - The Egobender