From Where Comes the Condemnation and How to Deal with Ittranslated

Irina BASHILOVA

psychologist

Have you noticed in yourself: someone acted differently from what you think is right, and a thought already arises: "How could he do that?" "I would never have done such a thing," "What a person…"? You didn't even say this out loud, but the thought has already appeared. And then a quiet doubt: "Am I thinking correctly? Maybe I just don't know something about his life?"

Do not be afraid. Condemnation — one of the most subtle yet most widespread states of the soul. It begins much earlier than harsh words or angry accusations. It starts much sooner, with a thought that comes unbidden. And we often do not realize that we have already condemned someone because we did not say it out loud.

What is condemnation in reality?

Condemnation is not just a remark: "This person acted badly." We often confuse reasoning and condemnation. To say "He acted dishonestly" is not condemnation. It's simply an honest assessment of the action. Condemnation begins where we move from evaluating the act to evaluating the person. Saying "He lied" is one thing, but saying "He is a liar" is already condemnation because we...