Judgement and Acceptance

I have been batting around these ideas in my head.

On one hand - I think of western thought, philosophy - it seems rooted in judgement. To determine whether something is right or wrong, ethical or unethical, good or evil, “the good life” or “the unexamined life is not worth living” - one must make a judgement on how you or others are choosing to live. That place of judgement inherently makes you feel a bit superior but can bring you right back down to earth when you have to honestly judge yourself and your shortcomings. It takes honesty and vulnerability but this is what allows you to get better and to be better. Without judgement and accountability there’s no growth.

In comparison - eastern thought seems much more concerned with accepting the world as it is. Accepting people and situations as part of a divine play. Meditation is about watching your thoughts, watching your judgements and maybe taking some of the bite out of your monkey mind and thus the judgements that may or may not help you understand and live a better life. It’s not that self-betterment is not a pillar of eastern thought but it doesn’t seem like they think (or judge) their way to a better result.

I constantly feel this tension in my mind. Judging others and myself allows me to try to be objective about things (though it’s hard and it’s hard to know when you have shed the veil of subjectivity completely)

Accepting and loving others as they are brings me peace but is not the natural state of my brain.

I would imagine the right path is somewhere in the middle but at times it feels like all or nothing one way or the other.