Judgment, fanaticism and neutrality..eventually we all choose one
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Look at every side of every issue in order to get understanding and to fully discover the truth. It's easy for anyone to form an opinion or to draw a conclusion even with only knowing one half of an issue, but the problem with this comes from the unfairness in this practice. It is unfair to the person who the opinion is for or against because the person who is forming the opinion isn't aware of the entire story. It's the unknown factors that can cause us the most trouble once they are revealed and in this case, maybe the opinion would have been different if all sides of the issue were known.
We have courts of law that determine the innocence or guilt of a person based on evidence or lack of it, and in our everyday existence, there are judges who walk the streets sans those nifty black robes who are more than willing to dish out their judgment however they see fit. We usually judge based on our own opinions or beliefs rather than with facts and evidence. When we place ourselves in the role of judge, we normally do so at the disdain of the ones we judge and usually without any concern to their feelings either. The main downfall of most of these street judges is that while they are happy to pass out their judgment, they often feel disgusted and many times aggravated when they are the ones being judged.
Moving on from the subject of judgment, do you know someone or a group of people that have/has an extreme enthusiasm or insatiable zeal for a cause they believe in? Concentrate hard on that person and how they make you feel as you read on. In a nutshell, fanaticism is believing in something so strongly and wholeheartedly that you you have no choice but to share your faith with others and for anyone who doesn't share your belief, you only become more insistent that they do. Beliefs and convictions, no matter how big or small they may be, give meaning and purpose to our lives. This makes them a good thing, but at some point, it's possible to move from simply sharing our belief system to enforcing our belief system onto others.
In our zealousness, it's possible to become judgmental and in judging, we can become zealous about our criticism, but on the other side of the coin lies neutrality. Laissez faire is French for non-interference and this is how some choose to live their lives. Being mindful and aware of others' feelings is a commendable thing and in many instances, neutral people are so mindful of others' feelings that they choose not to share their opinions especially the ones that are in opposition to someone else's. The concept of neutrality is a great way to avoid confrontation and maintain an openness to the ideals of others, but the downside is that others won't benefit from the knowledge and experiences that we have if we refuse to share it.
Now that some light has been shed on judgment, fanaticism, and neutrality, it's time for some cold, hard truth. No matter how loving, how politically correct, or how understanding we claim to be, eventually our actions put us in one of these categories. Maybe by now, your fanatical side might be jumping up and down trying to scream about how much of a fanatic you're not or maybe you're being so neutral that you don't even want to disagree with what I'm saying let alone share your opposing view. The clincher is that I want you to remember the fanatical person or group that I asked you about earlier and remember the feelings that they incite from you. Chances are, even in the noblest of your thoughts, you may have passed judgment on them. The point is that it's possible to subconsciously pass judgment on someone because of their views whether you want to or not.
One final note for all judges, fanatics, and neutral parties is this...the problem isn't necessarily with the views and beliefs that you have, but the problem occurs when we're unable to respect or even attempt to understand someone else's views or beliefs just because they don't agree with yours.
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Judging is only human. Our ability to judge has kept us alive. Back in the good ol’ days when we still used to live on the savannah and would drag our women by their hairs we relied on our good judgment. If we heard, smelled, noticed something, movement, we had to decide what to do in a split second. Eat or be eaten. So the urge to discriminate between good or bad is in out genes. Much of it we do without even being aware of it.So, basically there’s nothing wrong with judging. When judging people however, we should take two things into consideration: 1. we might be wrong in our judgment. 2. our judgment is based on perception and experience and therefore not absolute. If we keep that in mind, we will state our judgment less aggressively.
There is a difference between judgment of a person and judgment of a stance or action. If you consider that it was wrong to invade Iraq, there's nothing wrong with saying so. Or of someone is invading your privacy by cold-calling to sell double glazing, you're absolutely entitled to tell him to desist. However, the third person to do it in the space of half an hour doesn't know that he's the third and shouldn't be held responsible for the first two. Nevertheless, he's much more likely to get an earful.
Personally, I get irritated when people insist that what's important to them should be important to me too. I liken it to shopping in a souq in Cairo. Your whole time is spent rejecting advances, making it impossible to make choices. It's very wearing.
Talented Ink;
These are good, thought provoking ideas. I believe that the biggest issue is what you DO with your thoughts. Thoughts really are mostly irrelevent, in my view.
As to the neutral thoughts, I couldn't do that in everything. There are huge problems like poverty, prejudice, the environment and injustice (ironic in that leads to judgement). I can't just be neutral on that.
Judgement of issues, concepts, strategies, behaviors, etc. is required of functioning society. When that is applied to people, it gets scary. Most of the judging of people I see (in and out of the courts) is unjust and downright crooked. When it goes from judgement to prejudice, it must be stopped. Otherwise, the next step is terrorism.
Fanatacism is overrated as a word here. I see this constant tactic across Hubpages that religious people are these fanatics? Is that your opinion? Sorry, but you did not really say.
to t.keely - Thank you very much and I think a hub from you on the subjectivity and relativity of our society is another one I'd gladly read. I have a good feeling you can shed some light on things I haven't fully covered here.
to Ananta65 - I've been wondering when you were going to come out of hiding. You are right about judgment being the difference between surviving and dying. The problem happens when people when bad judgment calls on others and instead of great ideas and concepts surviving by being passed on to others, they die because people either don't share them or they feel that the idea or concept isn't worthy of their time. Thanks for giving me a different way of seeing it.
to Paraglider - Yes, there are many ways to judge people. Like Ananta65 has said, judgment can help in our survival, but I also add that judgment can also aid in our demise. The difference is made in our own perception and approach to people and issues.
to viralprospector - Thank you for the compliment and the first thing I'm curious about is why you feel thoughts are irrelevant. Is it because our thoughts are only the basis of our words and actions and there are some thoughts we never speak or act upon? You make good points on judgment and neutrality as well and my underlying thought of this hub is that eventually our actions will put us in one of the three categories I've mentioned. When I speak of fanatic, I'm not only talking of religious zealots, but anyone that is gung ho about their beliefs or convictions that they stop at nothing to shove their thoughts inside the minds of others in an attempt to convert people to their way of thought.
Talented Ink;
Yes, you saw what I was feebly trying to get across. Thoughts lead to words and they lead to actions. "Actions speak louder than words" is the final piece.
Saying thoughts are irrelevent is not really my belief, but I do not know how else to say that we need actions bad, now. I used to call it "the dog sitting on the porch barking" syndrome that we do not need so much.
What is funny about fanatics is that fanatically correct people are a huge blessing to us. Examples might include people like Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Malcolm X and many other heroes that have gone unsung and groups that changed the world. Personally, correct fanatics are my shining examples of how I want to live.
I'm glad I was able to see what you were trying to say.
http://hubpages.com/hub/Arent-we-supposed-to-be-fi
What strikes me as interesting is that you mention two people that I talk about in the above hub and you consider them to be fanatical in their beliefs. I disagree with you because while I do consider those you mentioned idealistic and steadfast in their beliefs, I don't consider them to be fanatics because they didn't try to force a conversion on anyone. I respect them because no matter how unpopular their views were, they held onto them. Gandhi, Malcolm X, Mother Theresa, Martin Luther King, Jr. and others like them had followers, but people followed them because of who they were and the message they presented. They weren't followed because they beat the message into others. This is something that I can truly respect and admire.
Yeah, judgment is a touchy issue. In my line of work as a counseler in the mental health and corrections system, it pays for me to be non-judgmental. But it is hard to see so many people making bad decisions over and over. Thanks for sharing this Hub. Please see how I try to help others in new ways. Sincerely: Gary Eby, author and therapist.
Interesting. I don’t really see the impossibility of sharing knowledge, information or even “beliefs” (forgive me Paraglider) while maintaining neutrality. You offer some bit of data, we talk about it, we agree or disagree, end of discussion. We can all take or leave whatever anyone puts before us. Problems arise when someone demands that we take what they offer whether we want it or not.
To viralprospector: I agree that what you DO with your thoughts and how you express them is important. I wouldn’t say that thoughts are irrelevant, though. Thoughts are the starting point of it all. Change the starting point and you’ll change everything.
Talented_Ink: I have been busy, rather than hiding :) I’m working on a hub that costs me a little more preparation, thanks to terenceyap, but (and this is one of my favorite quotes from one of the biggest minds that ever lived): “I’ll be back”.
Can you elaborate on that, because I don’t follow.It’s not clear to me what is your point, I’m afraid.
I'm so glad that I had parents who raised me to respect differences. The older I get, the more I value that concept and see it as a rare one. If we had more of it, as a world, there would be few wars...and more happiness and prosperity. I know it's a dying art....that of respect. I wish we could breathe fire back into its lungs.
I'm over simplifying, but what does it hurt me, to let another believe what they will, as long as they're not stuffing it down my throat? It makes the world a much more interesting place; diversity.
We have a right to and need our biases, as they keep us grounded, shows we have an opinion, and are more than the vegetable on the vine. My opinions change as I learn more about the facts of an issue or subject. I do try not to force them on others, though I express them. there is a difference. When we had foster kids; the hardest thing for them to learn was to allow another their opinion. They would argue forever over someone's comment. It made no sense to me.
Tolerance is easier modeled than explained.
Good hub!!!
to qlcoach - I can definitely see how in your line of work, you really can't be judgmental, but you have to work hard to get your patients to judge themselves a little bit closer.
to ColdWarBaby - Problems don't just arise from there. They also come from people judging the thoughts of others as being inferior or being wrong simply because they don't agree with them, and problems also happen when people are so neutral that they are either unwilling or unable to respectfully share their own opposing opinion
to Ananta65 - It sounds like a hub that I definitely look forward to reading. I was saying that you made see judgment as a healer or a killer of new and different ideas. When a person feels another person's beliefs and ideas are worthless, than they're more likely to shoot those beliefs and maybe even the person down every chance they get in hopes of killing a thought just because it was different from their own. A person can also heal or perpetuate a belief simply by listening to it and gaining understanding of it and the person even if that idea is different.
to marisuewrites - Respect of diversity. I like when you comment on my work because there are many times you have a way of simplifying the lengthy things I want to say. It works for me because I get a chance to see things a different way. Tolerance through understanding...how great a world would this be if everyone felt like this?
Understood and agreed :)
Tough one Talent. I applaud you for daring to deal with such topics and forcing me to think where I am and what I am doing in relation to others and their positions.
As I read your Hub, I couldn't help but think about what's happened in the US political arena in the last week or so with the choice of Palin as McCain's running mate.
The fanatics and judges are everywhere: in the media, in our neighborhoods, maybe even in our own houses. It seems as though the American public is foaming at the mouth being either for or against the Governor from Alaska, fueling their fanaticism and judgmentalism with only the information they themselves choose to latch onto in order to support their stances.
"Look at every side of every issue in order to get understanding and to fully discover the truth," you said at the start of this excellent Hub. And I would like to add this: What happened to the art and discipline of critical thinking?
Thank you for creating such a thought-provoking Hub.
to PenmanZee - Thank you, and with the way you write, I have no doubt that you carry yourself with respect for others while you demand it for yourself and at any time when you disrespect someone, you make amends quickly.
to Sally's Trove - You've hit the nail on the head with our views of Palin especially since most of them are only one-sided. The media is growing biased and if you get a chance, read pgrundy's latest hub called "Can we trust the news?". Thank you for your kind words and thanks for reading.
t.keeley says:
16 months ago
You know I was seriously about to write a hub about how subjective and relative everything in this postmodern society is. Now, don't get me wrong there are some areas that are not absolute, but I find it highly amusing that everyone lately is on this hobby horse of...well, how their horse is just plain better than yours. And in the end, the winner is not the one who truly presents the neutral perspective.
Good hub ;)