Judge, and be damned!

"Judge not, that ye be not judged." (Mt. 7:1)

A noble injunction, indeed. Unfortunately, totally impossible to adhere to. Almost as pointless as "You shall not kill." (Ex. 20:13) The most blood-thirsty species ever to walk the face of the earth is to be stopped by four little words? Like a T-Rex on crack, we will!

We impose such injunctions on ourselves precisely because we are fully aware of our inability to live up to them.

Mind you, difficult to live up to something we can't even conceptualise. Not kill? And we're being told this in a book steeped in bloodshed, by a God who sanctions and orders the killing of innocents? There is room to quibble over whether we are actually being told not to kill per se or not to commit murder, but what's the difference really?

To kill another human being is quite clearly justified under certain circumstances, so obvious they need no discussion here.

To murder another human being is just as clearly a selfish act - that person stands between me and something I desire (a person, a thing, an outcome, whatever) and my only means of acquiring what I desire is to get that person out of the way by killing him or her. This act of killing is for personal gain and can never be justified under law. Therefore, it is always a wrongful act.

The New Testament tells us that murder is more than the simple act of taking the life of another. To hold thoughts of hatred, jealousy or contempt towards another counts as murder in the eyes of the Lord. (cf. Mt. 15:19) No murderer, whether in deed or thought, will attain eternal life. (cf. 1 Jn. 3:15)

As much as one might hate to admit it, then, that old bit of nonsense about us all being capable of murder is probably truer than we'd like. For, who is capable of not judging another?

It takes just a quick glance, maybe three seconds, for someone to evaluate you when you meet for the first time. In this short time, the other person forms an opinion about you based on your appearance, your body language, your demeanor, your mannerisms, and how you are dressed. (cf. Mind Tools)

Speaking from an evolutionary viewpoint, it makes sense that we should be so ready to evaluate and judge another. When it is a matter of survival of the fittest, quick judgement counts.

The injunction not to judge others, then, demands that we act against our very human nature.

There is much in 'Humbug' that is delightful, not the least Mr Nutt's sizing up of Agent Mulder. As a small kernel in a hard shell, Nutt has, in all likelihood, had to suffer the prejudice of others his entire life. It is natural that he be somewhat sensitive about his height and how other perceive him. He is perfectly correct when he says "it's human nature to make instantaneous judgments of others based solely upon their physical appearances." He is truthful when he admits he has done the exact same thing with Mulder.

He is erroneous on two counts. First, because he takes offense at Mulder's perfectly innocent question, responding to the person in precisely the way he would hate others respond to himself. Second, because he assumes that because others are bound to be wrong about him - they'd never suspect that "a person of my height could have possibly obtained a degree in hotel management" - then he is bound to be wrong in his assessment of Mulder.

His powers of perception are, humourously, spot on.

There are many situations in which our ability to appraise another may still prove vital to our well-being, if not survival. In the main, like all evolutionary traits, society and culture have tipped it off kilter. There are far more instances in which we are needful of our ability to assess and judge, many of which were beyond inconceivable at the time our ancestors were honing the skill. The actual life-or-death situations that may have, long-ago, necessitated the ability to judge another and a situation no longer exist. But evolutionary traits, like plutonium-239, have an exceedingly long active life span.

So, judge, because you can't help it, but judge not harshly or maliciously. And remember, your bad feelings towards another harm you far more than they harm the other person - unless, of course, you're an American with a gun permit!