Greco-Christian stream·The Imitation of Christ·Book I — Admonitions Profitable for the Spiritual Life·Chapter XIV. On Avoiding Rash Judgment
XIV. On avoiding rash judgment
On the tendency to judge others. Convertere super teipsum, et cave ne aliorum acta judices — turn upon thyself and beware of judging the deeds of others. The energy spent judging others would be better spent examining ourselves.
Source context
- Theme
- restraint of premature judgment about the inner states and motives of others
- Soul-faculty
- Consciousness Soul
Steiner
not engaged in the GA corpus
Cross-tradition
- Stoic ethics (Epictetus, Enchiridion)Epictetus's discipline of assent (synkatathesis) demands suspending judgment about externals and attending only to what is within one's own rational control — a structural parallel to the Imitation's prohibition on scrutinizing others' conduct.
- Buddhist ethics (Right Speech / sammā-vācā)The Eightfold Path's injunction against harmful speech and unverified accusation exhibits cross-tradition congruence with the chapter's counsel to examine one's own faults before pronouncing on those of another.
- Jewish ethical literature (mussar tradition)The mussar principle of dan l'kaf zechut — judging others favourably — constitutes a cross-tradition congruence with the Imitation's insistence that interior states are hidden and judgment belongs to God alone.
Chapter XIV. On Avoiding Rash Judgment
ON AVOIDING RASH JUDGMENT
Look well unto thyself, and beware that thou judge not the doings of others. In judging others a man laboureth in vain; he often erreth, and easily falleth into sin; but in judging and examining himself he always laboureth to good purpose. According as a matter toucheth our fancy, so oftentimes do we judge of it; for easily do we fail of true judgment because of our own personal feeling. If God were always the sole object of our desire, we should the less easily be troubled by the erring judgment of our fancy.
2But often some secret thought lurking within us, or even some outward circumstance, turneth us aside. Many are secretly seeking their own ends in what they do, yet know it not. They seem to live in good peace of mind so long as things go well with them, and according to their desires, but if their desires be frustrated and broken, immediately they are shaken and displeased. Diversity of feelings and opinions very often brings about dissensions between friends, between countrymen, between religious and godly men.
3Established custom is not easily relinquished, and no man is very easily led to see with the eyes of another. If thou rest more upon thy own reason or experience than upon the power of Jesus Christ, thy light shall come slowly and hardly; for God willeth us to be perfectly subject unto Himself, and all our reason to be exalted by abundant love towards Him.
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