REPLY ID: ynjc

July 20, 2016

Ben, asante for your comments to my piece. I really appreciate your comments and the fact you read it and were informed. This is my goal: to inform and provide insight to subjects not being properly covered. Do share the story and look forward to more interesting reads.

Justice 4 Ojore
Ojore Mckinnon blogs/7375

OJORE MCKINNON BLOGS/7375

TO JUDGE OR NOT TO JUDGE
OJORE MCKINNON

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."—Matthew 7:1-2

I offer this Biblical verse as an introduction to this notion I often receive from those individuals who choose to write me with the understanding that I'm a death row prisoner: "I won't judge you for what you've done or didn't do..." or "I will never judge you; only God can judge you." Though I do understand their promise, I also find it wholly untrue, unrealistic, and not very sensible.

Judging others is not necessarily a bad thing but can be very much a commendable and valid thing. To judge is to exercise your sound evaluation of another and come to a conclusive determination. Your assessment is nothing more than a mental measuring stick used to determine if someone is compatible with you or need to be judged on their merit, truthfulness, and trustworthiness. Or are they caring or callous, good company or bad? These are all indicators we use to ensure we ward off those persons who are unhealthy influences and may cause chaos and havoc within our balanced, orderly, and sound life and thinking.

Failing to judge others is very much like wearing a blindfold and earplugs as you go through life. The chances of you finding yourself in harm's way or in the company of those seeking to take advantage of your disadvantage is very likely, being that predators come in the guise of prisoners, unsuspecting friends/family members or a considerate stranger within your midst. Therefore, why would anyone give up or attempt to suppress a natural built-in faculty and safety mechanism hardwired into humans to protect them and warn them of any impeding threats or dangers, or provide them a sense of feeling secure of reassured?

I don't scoff at being judged; I just ask that I'm judged "justly."

I preach (and practice) good judgment which leads to good decisions. Failing to use your innate well developed faculties in your daily life will result in bad decision-making and unnecessarily hardships, trials and tribulations that could've been avoided.

Someone in my predicament must judged and prejudged others as a matter of security and self-preservation. Exercising good judgment allows me to assess or observe approaching dangers or threats in a predaceous environment. Just the same, I pass judgment on those who value my evaluation and critique when they are off-balance, making bad decisions, indulging in destructive behavior or simply off their square. Otherwise, they will judge the nature of our friendship or fellowship as being disingenuous.

Furthermore, everyone choosing to contact me is first exercising prejudice in their selection process and before making contact, no matter the nature of their intentions: Christians prejudge me as to whether I have made my peace with God and accepted Jesus in my life; criminology students contact me under the guise of seeking friendship but actually they want to take advantage of my predicament to achieve a better grade; vulture capitalists seek me out to mine me for my thoughts, information, art, and poetry for their financial gain; and others contact me only with an interest in the "prisoner," not the man or my innocence. All these people come into my life with some measure of judgment or with some apprehension, however slight.

For those who profess they don't judge others: are you so convinced, even in the face of approaching danger, that you would not judge such as the threat of a crazed gun man? Will you fail to condemn or be critical of behavior reprehensibly immoral? Will you not reward or pronounce an outstanding accomplishment? Will you not mediate a dispute between your loved ones?

The only people not judging or being judgment about others are those not using their brain; the act of judging is to reason. Every day, we make judgments about people, the political body, society, and the world. Unless your brain is dead? In that case, this would explain your impairment and inability to judge.

From my stance on Maa, a voice from death row.