...Until you walk in my shoes
Whenever I feel an attack I become a recluse. My hermit ways grab a hold of me and I escape into a world of silence. After releasing it writing about it comes natural. Judgment has many complexities. It is about our own intuition and perception. It is also about wisdom, telltale, warnings and consultation. Judgment is also painful, opinionating, deceitful and full of many false criticisms. It can destroy relationships, friendships and anything it comes in contact within the umbrella of gossip. We are all subject to it. No one is exempted from it. And, this simple noun, with all its complexities, rises and grabs us hold. We are forced to step back and re-evaluate, not only others but ourselves in the process of relating to them.When we are emotionally unavailable life is a huge struggle. We show the strength in our spirit as soon as the walls start to cave around us. Strength is not shown in moments of comfort and happiness. It appears in moments of trials and difficulties through the courage of letting go. Judgment and criticism are catalysts to stepping back and watching the ego take the lead. Challenges push us to stay in hot water and brew to develop into something magically unavailable to us in other instances of our lives. We become authentically in nature if we allow the self to live in honesty while honoring our truths. The judgments from others can’t really hurt us if we are grounded in authenticity. I always say out loud when I am making a point, “I know my truth!” That knowing comes from divinity.I believe that we learn through the challenges of feelings. We are pushed to escape our egos and allow the Divine to help. When things are going well we rarely go to Spirit. It’s as if we need to find pain in order to fall on our knees and get closer to God. It’s ironic. The lower you are the higher you become. Being emotionally honest allows the freedom to celebrate Spirit, the core essence of our being. I find that the older I get the more emotionally available I become with myself. I am not running. I embrace the emotions, sometimes holding them too tightly to finally allowing them to subside. My humanness craves for the liberation of principle. I am accepting me in the perfection of being the best version of me there is in this world.A few things I have learned from the vile of other’s opinions. And, here are quotes that fit any situation that causes us to step into the uncertainty of criticism and how it affects us. Unless you’ve walked in my shoes, you cannot know how I will react, and vice versa.- “Do not wait for the last judgment. It comes every day.” – Albert Camus- “People hasten to judge in order not to be judged themselves.” – Albert Camus- “Never look down on anybody unless you're helping them up.” – Jesse Jackson- “We judge others instantly by their clothes, their cars, their appearance, their race, their education, their social status. The list is endless. What gets me is that most people decide who another person is before they have even spoken to them. What's even worse is that these same people decide who someone else is, and don't even know who they are themselves.” – Ashely Lorenzana- “I am aware that I am less than some people prefer me to be, but most people are unaware that I am so much more than what they see.” – Douglas Pagels- “Don't judge a man by his opinions, but what his opinions have made of him.” – Georg Christoph LichetenberSadly enough there’s no return from gossip and judgment. Once it is out there it is difficult to deny it. The only thing one must do is keep moving to the best of your own judgment. All the great masters expressed that the secret to compassion is to turn the other cheek. We must give thanks for those teachers who hurt us and push us to expand our hearts. Our hearts have to break, pain has to be somewhat present, and then we grow. I’ve come to realize that’s how it is with love and God. There is such beauty in allowing the truth to come through our weakness. The more we allow ourselves to feel the discomfort, the easier the journey becomes. I vow to become more emotionally honest and speak up when the pain appears, when joy embraces me, and when Spirit speaks to me. I wish you freedom as you gift yourself the ability to honor all emotions and live authentically. Life is too short to pretend, hide, neglect and reject the emotional roads that lead to truth. Judgment, or not, the choice is always yours…until you walk in my shoes I will not allow you to dictate my emotions. Ultimately you are only responsible for one person...YOU!