The Folly of Judgment

Life is like going to a magnificent buffet. There are hundreds of delicious and attractively presented foods to choose from –appetizers, salads, vegetables, meat, desserts. You can pick your plate up, walk down the line, and choose any dish. If you want to get the most pleasure from your buffet experience, you might choose the foods that you already know you like. You might find certain choices comforting, as they bring up strong, joyful memories. If you want to feel adventurous, you  might choose something you’ve never experienced before. So, sorting through the possibilities can be delightful.

It would be silly, wouldn’t it, to fill your plate with foods you know you don’t like? Similarly, you wouldn’t take a look at an offering of liver and onions, which you abhor, and yell at the food and tell the liver and onions it shouldn’t exist as a choice? Perhaps argue with the chef or the restaurant owner because they have food on the buffet that doesn’t appeal to you? After all, the guy behind you might be filling his plate up with liver and onions, because he loves their taste. Moreover, you wouldn’t chastise him because he’s choosing a dish you dislike, would you?

What if your adventurous choice was liver and onions? You took a bite and didn’t like it? Would feel guilty about making the choice, ask God why you are being punished for trying something different, or would you just spit the food out in your napkin and eat something else?

At the end of the meal, your overall sense of joy and sustenance is governed by your ability to sort through the smorgasbord of choices and focus in on those that would give your body the most pleasurable experience. If you experience anything less than a perfect meal, then you are always free to choose a different restaurant, order from the menu, or make different selections.