Please accept my apology. This apology is somewhat late in coming, and simultaneously given in advance. In my past blog articles, I have touched on topics that some may consider to be slightly offensive, and it is certainly my intention to continue that trend in the future.

Do I desire to be offensive? Certainly not. Am I judging you or anyone else? God forbid. In all seriousness, I see the danger of becoming judgemental in my writing, and especially in my own thoughts, and it is my fervent prayer that I be prevented from this danger, through both my own diligence and through divine intervention when my diligence fails me.

That being said, I have no intention of pulling any punches in my writing. I have very strong opinions about certain topics, and I feel compelled to share these opinions. I will pull no punches, but please know that you, dear reader, are not my target. Instead, I have my sights set squarely on good judgement. One of my goals in writing this blog is to demonstrate how I have applied the concepts of wisdom and good judgement in my own life, so that you may potentially apply similar concepts in yours.

If you follow my example and seek good judgement, I am well aware that it may lead you to very different conclusions from those that I have arrived at. Let me assert authoritatively, it is both possible and good for two people to have differing opinions on a topic without being judgemental toward each other.

Here’s the catch. Good judgement is personal. It is almost always situational. I am convinced that there are hard and fast precepts of morality that can be applied in any situation, and that one of those precepts is to always, unconditionally love your neighbor as yourself. However I am equally convinced that I am not always the most adept at applying those precepts in every single situation in even my own life. So I claim no right to attempt to judge any decisions you have made, or will make.

Now, given my opening apology, and my sincere promise to avoid becoming judgemental, there is still an onus on you, the reader, to attempt not to be offended. Assuming that I am meeting my stated goals of demonstrating good judgement, and of avoiding a judgemental attitude, there is still the danger of offense. Take, for example, my recent essay on drinking alcohol. I was very careful, when writing this article, to avoid any language that could be misconstrued as condemning an opposing viewpoint. And yet there are those who, when faced with a well-thought-out argument that is in direct opposition to their own opinion, will inevitably respond with the emotion of offense.

Let me stress that this is your own emotional response, and I divest myself here and now of any responsibility for it. This very statement may be offensive to some, but for this I do not apologize. I have the capability to do the following:

• Demonstrate good judgement in my own life.
• Coach others in the techniques required to acquire and practice good judgement.
• Avoid judging other people.

I do not have the capability to prevent you from becoming offended. I assert that in all situations, offense is either a voluntary reaction or an involuntary but learned reaction, and that the emotional response of being offended can always be avoided and / or unlearned by the offendee. This is clouded by the fact that the offender can almost always avoid actions that cause offense. Since I have the theoretical capability to avoid offense, should potentially offensive actions or words be universally avoided? Absolutely not.

This is a path of folly, and I have no intention of attempting it. I refuse to tiptoe through life with the goal of anticipating and avoiding every topic that may potentially offend. Instead, I will attempt to think, to live, and to write with conscientious integrity, and to avoid judging others by always assuming that they are trying to do the same. Please try not to be offended as I do so.

– danBhentschel