February 2009 - WANT: The judgement of want

The definitions of judgement are:

• the capacity to assess situations or circumstances shrewdly and to draw sound conclusions
  
• the act of judging or assessing a person or situation or event

Another point of view on judgement is from Paul Graham

And here is a related quote by the Brazilian novelist, Paulo Coelho -

“We can never judge the lives of others, because each person knows only their own pain and renunciation. It's one thing to feel that you are on the right path, but it's another to think that yours is the only path.”

Many of us grew up learning that judging or judgement or being judged is a very analytical process. Some times that is not the case. As Paul Graham mentions, there are two kinds of judgement. The analytical kind which he states: "where judging you is the end goal". And the other type, which he states: "where judging you is only a means to something else... This kind of judgement is not really about you."

In many instances the lines between these two kinds of judgements are blurred.

When we want something, we make judgements about the want and sometimes even make judgements about ourselves for wanting whatever it is.

When someone else wants something, we continue this method and we make judgements about what they want and again make judgements about them for wanting this particular thing.

Now, don't get me wrong the WE is not everyone and the occurrence is not all the time. But it happens often enough to become a significant influence on both us and them.

I would like to offer up that we should make sound judgements on what we want. We don't need to make any judgements on the wants for which we or they have made as a final selection.

I would bet some of you would disagree with this. Let me know.

Should any of us be ashamed of what we want? Should any of us condemn others for what they want? Maybe it depends on what each of us wants.

Could the Google mantra of do no evil be applied to wants? The actual Google statement is you can make money without doing evil so it would seem that others have expanded Google's "no evil" scope.

But I drift from the point. If a want does evil, can it still not be judged? If a want brings goodness or well being to someone should that not be judged?

Perhaps I am completely wrong.
Was that a judgement?
Perhaps everything is judged.
Perhaps that is just part of what makes us human.

What would happen if we didn't place judgements on wants?

So may questions, so few answers.

Maybe today's post is here to generate more thoughts.

Think about it.