TOD 11.16.07

Pity and judgment seem like totally distinct reactions, but they’re much closer than we think. For instance, when I see someone in a restaurant being rude to a server who is slow bringing food, I judge him. In contrast, if I discovered that this same person had just been told that his mother had died, I might well have pity on him, knowing that his anger is really just grief in other clothing. I pity him just as I would an infant who cries for food because I recognize a situation that’s beyond his capacity to handle.

In short, I judge or pity others by measuring them with the yardstick of my own life. If young or highly stressed, I have pity. If mature and moderately stressed, I judge. But do I know enough about them to do this? The problem is that I can’t tell how mature a person’s character is based on how mature his body is.

In truth, God alone knows where people really are, and He may well judge the person I pity and pity the person I judge. That may be the reason He reserves judgment to Himself.