Good and bad judgments

Peer Responses

Peer Reply 1

One believe I find in society that I consider to be merely relative would be Church goers who tend to judge others who do not attend church on the daily basis. I have a pastor who works with us and had to call out a person because he was trying to push his beliefs onto others. As someone who does not attend church often I know that telling others who do not attend church that they are going to hell for living their life is wrong. They are being judgmental over those who do not see the same ways as them. They do not practice what they preach “judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven” (Luke 6:37). They will judge the way you dress the way you speak, your day to day activities, and how you carry yourself as a person. The way they justify their actions is that they are looking out for you to make sure that you go to heaven and that this is the way God wants you to live your life.

The way in which we judge each other takes on several forms. It is important, I think, to differentiate the two major forms of judgment. Indeed, whether someone is “going to hell” is quite a different thing than whether the person is doing the right thing. Even if some people disagree about what the “right thing” is, there is a difference. For example, if one person (or a group) is bullying another group, that is wrong and should be condemned. However, something else that is more personal and not harmful to others such as whether someone goes to church is a different matter. After all, there is nothing in the Bible that says that not going to church leads to eternal damnation. Further, it is also said that any group of people, no matter how small, gathering in the name of God is technically a church. After all, the church is the people…not the building in which people happen to be. Even so, there is such a thing as living a moral life. Encroaching on whether someone is worthy going to heaven is not right…but guiding people in the right way when they are clearly doing wrong, inclusive of forgiving them when they wrong you, is something that is very important.

Peer Reply 2

A few beliefs that I find in society that could be considered merely relative is \"A degree is a degree\" and \"C\'s get degree\'s\". People justify these beliefs in my personal opinion on money spending and avoid being looked down upon by their peers. After reading \"Trying Out One\'s New Sword\" by Mary Midgley I\'ll ask myself does the isolating barrier work both ways? In my opinion it does. One my argue that going to a different school or getting a different degree will help their chances of a better future and the other may argue that it doesn\'t matter how I get my diploma/degree, I\'ll still have that degree which will equal or be relevant to any other school. Only person who could truly justify this statement is one who has been to both parties schools, attended the schools long enough and graduated. That is the only position qualified to give a factual response. My own impression on this is that spending more money at an ivy league college will automatically make you more money than a community college. Now it\'s tough to say this but from an employer standpoint, if you have two fully qualified candidates with the same resume, the college degree they have may play a factor. Overall I believe there is conflict with my two beliefs I stated earlier because of the broadness of the beliefs and lack of public information.

Generally speaking, it is not completely accurate to say that one has to live an entire experience to make a judgment. It is true that living one’s own life and learning through one’s own trial and error can be useful. However, to suggest that nothing can be learned by seeing what others go through and experience is simply not true. The efficacy and applicability of going to a certain school is an example of this. A good example would be the argument about going to a vocational school versus going to a more conventional college. There are pros and cons to both and it is not necessary to attend both to know this. Vocational school is a way to learn a trade but is missing the liberal arts and science education that makes for a more well-rounded knowledge base within a person. Liberal arts colleges take longer but give a more well-rounded education. Even so, there are ways to botch either. This would include learning a trade that is becoming obsolete or getting a degree from a conventional college that is not in demand. Further, some colleges are not as good as others. Some are outright scams or degree mills, although that is sometimes subject to debate.

Peer Reply 3 - Xenophon Mitchell:

Some beliefs that I find that society would deemed as merely relative is that “the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.” I have heard many people recite this phrase hundreds of time. I personally believe that certain individuals place judgment on both group such as, “the rich” may purchase assets that allow them to gain wealth such as stocks and bond. They also education themselves by reading information relating to wealth, money and finance, and yet they are sometime classified as greedy individuals. The same can be true for “the poor.” The poor can be often classified as “living above their means.” All of their money are spent on furnishing their houses with the latest gadgets and toys in order to identify with the so-called America Dream. They have no saving or retirement to prepare for the future. I would think that this is not always the case, as not all rich people are greedy. Many of them are very wise when handling wealth and often pass that knowledge on. And not all of the poor are undisciplined with wealth. There are instances whereas uncontrollable circumstances may occur like with a friend suddenly losing their job due to illness and having to sell of their assets to stay afloat.

In Mary Midgley, “Trying Out One’s New Sword,” she mentions what is involve in judging. I believe what is involved in judging is passing off one’s views of another without seeking all facts. This goes hand-in-hand with people judging others in reference to their financial status. How can one judge unless he has walked a mile in the other shoes? Only God can judge. And as Midgley stated, these judgments are merely “crude opinions.” I believe that the beliefs are consistence because whether it the rich or poor, both are being judge from someone else standard. Yes there are inconsistencies in what people believe about the rich and poor. Just because a person is rich does not mean that they are greedy. And the same is true for a person who poor. Just because a person is poor does not mean they are undisciplined with wealth. It is based on an individual base.

There is a ring of truth to a lot of what you say…but there are also a few things that I would quibble with. First, it is true that the “walk a mile in my shoes” argument holds a lot of applicability. However, it is often also used as a way to deflect blame and legitimate criticism. After all, the poor are often poor for a good reason. It is true that generational patterns are what they are. The other saying about how the apple does not fall far from the tree is often true…but not always. Some people in those situations see the mistakes that their family or friends are making. They may also experience their own setbacks. Rather than deflect, blame society or otherwise perpetuate the same problems, they adjust their actions and lifestyles so as to get on a better path. Getting out of such a “rut” is hard…but it is possible. Beyond that, making bad decisions is something that can and should be judged. Even if we say otherwise, we judge people every day…and often times, that is precisely what we should do. For example, if a woman leaves her husband for being abusive, she is making a judgment. If a prospective employee picks one firm over another to work for, that person is making a judgment. It is not the judging, in and of itself, that is bad…it is WHY the judgment is being made and for what purpose. There are notable reasons to use discretion and judgment…but there are also bad ones. It is potentially incendiary to assume the worst about people and to otherwise cast aspersions. However, there are times where such judgments are spot-on and should be taken seriously. Just because a person does not like judgments being levied against them does not make them untrue or unapplicable.