There are things I see out there that I condemn passionately, and others that do not disturb me at all. The things I condemn most intensely tend to be ideas that tell me something about myself. In my case, for example, one of them might be arrogance. I do not necessarily condemn it because I fail to understand how it arises or what sets it in motion, but because perhaps it still operates within me unconsciously. What we point at while frantically wagging our finger may be especially present within us, even if it appears in other contexts.
How did I reach this conclusion? Through simple observation. The other day, I watched a video of a man condemning something that disgusted him and made his stomach turn: the behaviour of some young women criticising or mocking a poor neighbourhood. I was surprised that he condemned it as though it meant the end of the world, while to me it did not seem such a big deal.
His criticism seemed as contradictory to me as someone complaining about the noise while walking down a busy street. Someone who understood where they were would not start protesting about something inherent to the place. And if the noise were a serious problem for them, the logical thing would be to reconsider their need to visit places that make them uncomfortable.
What he criticised so fiercely, I viewed neutrally, because it did not seem worth my attention. And if someone asked for my opinion, I would call it ridiculous or comical, because I would understand that the young women’s behaviour simply revealed a profound inner mediocrity, and that the problem was really theirs.
When you understand certain things, you stop being surprised by them and condemning them. Yet here is the key: sometimes, even when you understand them, they still provoke that condemnation. Perhaps because they are also present within you, though they manifest differently.
We may be condemning the very things we are also drawn into, the things that bind us. When we point them out in others, perhaps we are pointing to our own lack of awareness or our own ego.