Lesson from Casey Anthony trial: judge not

I am always flabbergasted by how quickly we judge each other.

The whole planet, certainly the world of social media, has been abuzz the last 24 hours with the verdict of the Casey Anthony trial in Florida.

Yes, this was a gruesome crime and a sad ending for a young child. But the acquittal of the mother on all charges other than lying to officers has created a firestorm of judgment, hate, condemnation and veiled threats.

Really people? Is this the best we have?

With few exceptions, none of us was present in the courtroom or witness to every last bit of camera footage. Yet the presumed guilt of this young mother has turned so many into judge, jury and executioner. And all this vitriol seems to be based on false assumptions. Those assumptions are based on the combined sound-bytes of uncountable talking heads, hired by “news” organizations as “experts”, spewing their opinion as factual reporting. Those news organizations should all be embarrassed. This kind of reporting has no place in the distribution of actual news.

So based on the very limited scope of these designed-to-attract-viewers-and-ratings news reports there is this collective moral indignation over a verdict in a trial we were not entirely privy to. Does that read as silly as it sounded to write?

I hope so.

The court system is undeniably imperfect – but – the presumption of innocence and the application of the burden of proof to the prosecution has saved more innocents than it has freed guilty. Be glad of that. And where we have cause to feel the system has failed, be upset, certainly. But my question is how does it serve us, individually and collectively, to excrete such venom and hate?

 
The old clichés say something to the effect that hating another and wishing them ill is like taking poison and waiting for them to die. Was this young woman guilty? I don’t know. My guess is, in the end, only she knows.

I feel sad for the loss of a young life, but at the same time believe in the eternality of the Spirit which gave her life. I have compassion for the mother, regardless her guilt or innocence in this matter. Either way her burden is more than I would wish on another being.

What I am clear about, is that I did not come here to judge – it is not my place. Oh for sure, my human might want to, but my Spirit simply laughs at my silly human. The judgment I reflect into life will be the judgment I experience from It. That will most likely never be compassionate and it will not be pleasant, nor will it be what I truly wish to be my experience.