Have you ever said that you would never do such and such that some one has done, and yet, maybe years later, you find yourself in a similar circumstance and guess what? Yes, you are doing what you said you would never do. I once learned a valuable life lesson criticizing my sister in law for doing something with her children. Years later when I had children, I found myself doing exactly the same thing I was harshly critical of. Until you walk in the shoes of another, which of course, you can never really do, can you possibly judge. You cannot judge, but all of us do. Maybe Amma does not. She loves all the same, full of the love of the Creator.
But should people who smoke be availed of health care for smoking related illnesses? Maybe yes the first time, but hopefully they learn their lesson and quit. If they become ill a second time because they continued to smoke, should society pay their debts? How about the drug addict who goes to rehabilitation time and time again, only to come out and head straight back into the drug addiction cycle they know all too well. What about obese people who do not exercise, eat gross amounts and then blame their genes on their conditions? Like a drug addict, should society continually help them recover. What if they go back to the same pattern that landed them to be morbidly obese? I watched a documentary on a morbidly obese person. He was the size of a grand piano and was nearly a thousand pounds. He had long not been able to walk or get out of bed at all. Some one was feeding his addiction. That some one in his case, turned out to be his wife. Slowly she was killing her husband through stupidy believing, or so she said, that giving him what he wanted made him happy. She had to clean his bowel movements which just sort of happened and dedicated her life to him, or making him a living amoeba. When the government stepped in to rescue him, the wall of the house where the bedroom was had to be crashed down and he had to be moved in a tow truck for large vehicles. I am sure he felt shame. While he was gross at home, no one knew, but when he was exposed, he was vulnerable to comments and judgement. He gained his health back, lost more than half his body weight and then became morbidly obese a second, then a third time again after recovery. How can we not judge?
I am thinking of the oil crash, which has severely affected everything in this area. The workers were let go, and most of them were not from here, so they sold their belongings and moved home or elsewhere. That left a skeleton population so then non essential services crashed after that. Hair dressers, nail salons, pet groomers and such began to struggle and doors are closing. There are people who cannot pay their mortgages so the housing market has gone crazy, but no one is coming to buy. Some are walking away. Those who stay cannot afford to eat. They smoke and drink, but cannot afford a decent meal. Should the soup kitchens deny them sustenance when the time comes because they could better budget their money and afford food if they did not drink or smoke?
That is being judgmental. Everyone who is hungry should eat, with the thought that they will be humbled and quit their nasty habits and go straight. What if it became more like the hungry thirties where street labour gangs worked to eat just to stay alive? Perhaps people would not have such a sense of entitlement then? But drug abuse grows, as does alcoholism when there is despair and hopelessness. It is hard not to judge. It is hard to love despite the sabotage one sees when money comes in, kids go hungry and the parents are drunk. It is harder yet to pick up a drunk and attempt to give them hope, or a drug addict or any person who has given up on him/herself. Some are so filled with love they can forgive the people and work with them in earnest on recovery. I am not there yet. That man eventually ate himself to death, but his wife is the one who bought the food and gave it to him. We all make choices. I am not better because I am not an addict. I am stronger. Some how they did not acquire the tools necessary to say no and to value themselves enough to stay healthy. And still, thou shalt not judge lest ye be judged.
But should people who smoke be availed of health care for smoking related illnesses? Maybe yes the first time, but hopefully they learn their lesson and quit. If they become ill a second time because they continued to smoke, should society pay their debts? How about the drug addict who goes to rehabilitation time and time again, only to come out and head straight back into the drug addiction cycle they know all too well. What about obese people who do not exercise, eat gross amounts and then blame their genes on their conditions? Like a drug addict, should society continually help them recover. What if they go back to the same pattern that landed them to be morbidly obese? I watched a documentary on a morbidly obese person. He was the size of a grand piano and was nearly a thousand pounds. He had long not been able to walk or get out of bed at all. Some one was feeding his addiction. That some one in his case, turned out to be his wife. Slowly she was killing her husband through stupidy believing, or so she said, that giving him what he wanted made him happy. She had to clean his bowel movements which just sort of happened and dedicated her life to him, or making him a living amoeba. When the government stepped in to rescue him, the wall of the house where the bedroom was had to be crashed down and he had to be moved in a tow truck for large vehicles. I am sure he felt shame. While he was gross at home, no one knew, but when he was exposed, he was vulnerable to comments and judgement. He gained his health back, lost more than half his body weight and then became morbidly obese a second, then a third time again after recovery. How can we not judge?
I am thinking of the oil crash, which has severely affected everything in this area. The workers were let go, and most of them were not from here, so they sold their belongings and moved home or elsewhere. That left a skeleton population so then non essential services crashed after that. Hair dressers, nail salons, pet groomers and such began to struggle and doors are closing. There are people who cannot pay their mortgages so the housing market has gone crazy, but no one is coming to buy. Some are walking away. Those who stay cannot afford to eat. They smoke and drink, but cannot afford a decent meal. Should the soup kitchens deny them sustenance when the time comes because they could better budget their money and afford food if they did not drink or smoke?
That is being judgmental. Everyone who is hungry should eat, with the thought that they will be humbled and quit their nasty habits and go straight. What if it became more like the hungry thirties where street labour gangs worked to eat just to stay alive? Perhaps people would not have such a sense of entitlement then? But drug abuse grows, as does alcoholism when there is despair and hopelessness. It is hard not to judge. It is hard to love despite the sabotage one sees when money comes in, kids go hungry and the parents are drunk. It is harder yet to pick up a drunk and attempt to give them hope, or a drug addict or any person who has given up on him/herself. Some are so filled with love they can forgive the people and work with them in earnest on recovery. I am not there yet. That man eventually ate himself to death, but his wife is the one who bought the food and gave it to him. We all make choices. I am not better because I am not an addict. I am stronger. Some how they did not acquire the tools necessary to say no and to value themselves enough to stay healthy. And still, thou shalt not judge lest ye be judged.
Things happen, like blizzards in April. It is out of our control.
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