swing the bat; drop the gavel

"don't knock someone for playing a game you won't even suit up for."--andy, according to jim.


i recently heard this quote and it personally sparked something of a critical look at criticism and a judicial look at judgment for me :-) i don't remember what the episode was about, but the statement sure struck a chord and stuck with me.


i got thinking about this in relation to the way i evaluate or judge other people's actions or lack of action. now, it's one thing to be critical of someone who is able bodied who never lifts a finger to help, for instance. or someone who goes so far with a job only to walk away and leave someone else with the duties, when it was their responsibility to carry it through to completion. or the person whose tongue wags about issues they see in someone else, who very obviously is 'guilty' of the same. or the one who expects the world from the world, but balks when anything's expected of them.


those are just a few examples. you're smart enough to comparatively contrast and analyze the few examples i've just given, but for the sake of segue, hark back to my first example: be careful when you pass judgment on the one who never lifts a finger to help. let's give them the benefit of a doubt and assume they're missing all their fingers, so offering to help out at the quilting bee where you work with fingers and needles and thread and thimbles on a quilt for developing world countries would certainly be problematic. really, that's a game they can't suit up for, so i can't criticize. as for the other instances, let's just again assume the person might have a perfectly valid reason or excuse for acting or not acting that is more than sheer laziness, lack of ability, or unwillingness.


the way i see it, being critical and passing judgment are dangerous practices, because maybe, just maybe, the tables might get turned one day, and the very thing i judged so harshly and unfairly may well be where i find myself. trust me; it's safer to not judge. besides, all too often, the very thing i criticize and find fault with are in areas and with people i won't even bother with. like andy says, don't knock someone for playing a game you won't even suit up for. i'll use an example i use often: i don't call down my pastors' preaching styles or content because theirs is a game i wouldn't want to play. so, the simple road sign i'm posting here is this: don't talk about the job someone else does when you won't do it. don't nitpick about someone's effort in an area that you're unwilling to commit to. cut someone else some slack who would dare to take a risk while you stand on the sidelines.


i'm learning this the hard way, because admittedly, i'm by nature a very critical thinker and occasionally this bleeds into my everyday life, manifesting itself as harsh criticism rather than mere observation and neutral evaluation. i have to remind myself that my way of doing things might not work for someone else, any more than their way would work for me. neither does it mean that we're all equipped and able to play the same game. 

but don't get me wrong; not being critical or judgmental doesn't mean someone gets away with not suiting up because even if it's not their game or what defines them, chances are they're just as able to serve at the soup kitchen, or visit a lonely senior, or smile at a stranger, or pick up a piece of trash. not being critical or judgmental doesn't even mean turning a blind eye on people who never pitch (in) :-) it does mean i can focus my vision and energy on what i see needs accomplished on the playing field. rather than wasting my time fuming and stewing, i can throw myself into the game with passion and intensity and drive. and suddenly, i'm swinging the bat, not dropping the gavel.