Dropping Judgment... With Ice-Cream!

I’m in the incessant search of ways to expand my levels of consciousness. I’ve learnt that the tip of the iceberg is in asking questions without waiting for a logical answer, simply trust that the energy of the answer will arrive at the proper time and in the most suitable way. This technique has me making questions all day through. In the process, I've received the information that consciousness “includes everything and judges nothing.” Easy to recite and repeat, but how do I get rid of all the judgment? What distinguishes judgment from choice? What distinguishes judgment from awareness?

This weekend I had the opportunity of listening to an inspiring speaker telling how she celebrated each piece of judgment or opinion that somebody made to her. For instance, someone had told her: “You don’t care about me, you only take care of yourself.” To which she would reply (I don’t know if to herself or out loud, but it doesn’t really matter): “Yes, in addition to all I am, at this moment I only take care of myself, thank you for reminding me that in my infinite being,I am also that.” While I was listening to her on Saturday evening, I saw very distant the moment in which I would reach that level of acceptance and enjoyment of myself. However, asking questions seems to really work, because this morning, on my way to taking my daughter to school, I came up with a metaphor that immediately started opening doors and possibilities.

What if we compared emotions, reactions and attitudes with an unlimited offer of ice-cream flavors at an ice-cream shop? There are many flavors, some are very similar to others with some variants, they come in many colors, with cream, with fruit, fat-free, and in addition, you can combine them, choose cup sizes, and many different toppings. When we go to the ice-cream shop with friends, each one chooses the combination that appeals to them at that moment, regardless of what the others order. Some people choose and judge their choice, while some others simply enjoy it. When someone chooses a flavor that I don’t like, it doesn’t stop me from enjoying the one I've chosen, and I don’t judge what they've chosen, right? Sometimes I can even offer a taste of mine or ask to taste someone else’s choice. What if the choice of emotions, reactions and attitudes were just as easy as choosing ice-cream? What if I could choose and change flavors with total ease, flexibility and freedom? What if when someone chooses something different to what I’ve chosen, I am simply aware of their different choice without judging it right or wrong?

For example, today I choose to be joy, and if those around me chose anger or sadness, I understand that it is their choice, and that it doesn’t have to affect mine at all. It will only affect it if I choose to dip my spoon in the anger or sadness of someone else's ice-cream. But I can also leave my spoon in my joy, and maybe get a taste of peace or love. In this way, it is not necessary to protect ourselves or walk away from the flavors that we don’t choose, we just need to be conscious of the one we've chosen and be aware of the ones we choose to taste or share. And if I tried angst and I didn’t like it, I can come back to my flavor of joy, and that’s that. I could tell someone who's chosen fear that love is tastier in my opinion, but the decision of tasting it is theirs, and it’s not about me forcing them to try it (the image of the pie on the face from the The Three Stooges comes to mind).

What if it were that simple? What if stopping judgment is really that easy? What if it’s only a matter of choosing consciously? So today I choose a large cone of joy and trust, sprinkled with love, and a spoon with the drawing of smile. Want a taste?