“Do not stand on judgment of another till you have walked at least a mile in his / her shoes.”

This well-known saying isn’t cryptic at all – the message is simple enough – do not judge other people by your yardstick, or at all, for that matter. We do not know what the opposite party is going through; we know little or nothing of what their situation really is. We know little or nothing at all about their daily struggles and heartbreaks.

The simpler the inherent message, the harder it is to adhere to and follow. It is only the wearer of the shoe who knows exactly where the shoe pinches him / her.

In any case, who are we to judge other people? Are we self-elected to be Judge and Jury that so many of us feel obliged to pass judgment summarily on others? Learn to mind your own business. Live and let live – that’s the true essence of happiness, believe it or not.

Why should we throw stones at other individuals when we ourselves live in glass houses? We are not in an inviolable, impenetrable position ourselves. We feel that we occupy a position of self-elected importance – it makes us imagine that we are are ‘above’ others. That’s far from true.

Many people lead lives that are erected on a shaky and crumbling foundation from the very outset – it’s like living in a house made of glass. A single, hefty throw of a heavy stone can shatter into a million, miniscule fragments that same so-called impregnable house that we inhabit.

The house, of course, is an oblique reference to the physical body that houses our being and our mind – the mental store of our knowledge, emotions, ethics, conscience, logic, thinking and reasoning. Our body is where our very soul has made its permanent habitat. We might very well assume that this ‘house’ is as superbly well-guarded as Fort Knox itself but the fact is that this house is neither as safe nor as secure as it seems. It is not immune to physical attacks like dangerous, life-threatening diseases nor is it immune to mental degradation and emotional abuse – that is where the reference of the brittle nature and fragility of glass fits perfectly into the picture.

Assumption is one thing but the Reality of the Matter is quite another. Do not confuse the two otherwise there will be trouble – make no mistake about that.

Only God, Our Good Lord – the Supreme Creator and the Supreme Destroyer can stand on judgment of us. We do not possess that right – the latter was never ours to presume, in the first place.

Who are we to judge other people? It’s neither our job, duty or responsibility. Leave it to God – it is His Great Mercy and His Immense Grace that keeps us alive and in good health each and every moment of our lives.

God can (and will) judge us some day – let us keep it that way – that’s all I can truly say.

True, isn’t it?