The Secret To Being Non-Judgmental

"When you go out into the woods, and you look at trees, you see all these different trees.
And some of them are bent, and some of them are straight, and some of them are evergreens, and some of them are whatever. And you look at the tree and you allow it. You see why it is the way it is.
You sort of understand that it didn’t get enough light, and so it turned that way.
And you don’t get all emotional about it. You just allow it. You appreciate the tree.
The minute you get near humans, you lose all that.
​And you are constantly saying ‘You are too this, or I’m too this.’
That judgment mind comes in. And so I practice turning people into trees.
Which means appreciating them just the way they are.”
​~Ram Dass.

This week’s quote is about practicing non-judgment. Why is it that you can walk peacefully through the woods without feeling the need to judge all the different trees and yet, when you are out in a crowd, you find yourself judging all the different people?

Perhaps the problem is all in your head. Afterall, it’s the mind’s job to evaluate all incoming data. Unlike the heart, which feels only peace and appreciation in the present moment, the mind is never at rest. It’s always busy comparing and categorizing, scanning the environment for potential threats.

According to Ram Dass, the secret to being non-judgmental is to see the world through the loving lens of the heart instead of the scrutinizing lens of the mind. How do you get out of your mind and into your heart? As Ram Dass once said, “Become a soul, look around, and you’ll be amazed- all the beings around you are souls too.”

By “seeing God in everyone,” one is able to look beyond physical differences and recognize the divine spark or spirit that dwells within us all. So, the next time you find yourself in a crowd and you start judging others, try getting into your soul. “When you get into your soul,” Ram Dass explained, “the entire world is made of love- trees are made of love; beings, in their souls, are made of love.”