Jumping can be dangerous if we jump too far and fall twisted, injuring ourselves, or fall on someone, injuring them. While physical jumping can be dangerous, another kind of jumping can be even more dangerous: jumping to conclusions.

When we observe someone doing something, we may jump to conclusions about their nature. For example, if we see someone sleeping, we may mentally label them as lazy. Actually, they may be sick, may have worked late the previous night or may have had an insomniac night. Yet we jump from a multiply-interpretable observation to a negative conclusion. Why? Frequently, it’s because we have a negative conception about them and we interpret the observation as evidence of our conception.

When we jump to conclusions thus, we leave the solid ground of facts and land on inferences about others’ motivations and even dispositions. Our labeling irritates and alienates them. Indeed, jumping to conclusions can cause small tensions to escalate to huge conflicts, even wars, be they domestic or corporate or national.

To avoid jumping to such conclusions, we need to cultivate a positive attitude towards others, trying to see the good in them. The Bhagavad-gita (16.02) states that godly people are averse to fault-finding.

Gita wisdom helps us see others positively by explaining that all living beings are souls, parts of Krishna. We all are on the same shared journey of spiritual evolution, and we all have our particular weaknesses that come from our past conditionings. In our interactions, we are meant to help each other manage these weaknesses while striving to further our spiritual evolution. When we see everyone’s spiritual potential and strive to help them bring that out, we become sources of not judgment but encouragement.

By thus serving Krishna’s parts sensitively, we please him, and he empowers us to bring out our best.

To know more about this verse, please click on the image
Explanation of article:

Podcast:

Download by “right-click and save”