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A line from A Course in Miracles says:

“I choose to judge nothing that occurs.”

This statement was so spiritually profound — and I was so moved by it — I put it on my wall as a daily reminder.

But not even twenty minutes later, I was already judging something.

I was reading about how “Coca-Cola Company will invest $90 million in Suja as part of a deal that will give the soft drink giant a path to ownership of the fast-growing  juice maker in three years.”

Shaking my head.

Muttering to myself, “Yet ANOTHER organic company selling out…”

“How can a company claiming to stand for organic prostitute itself out to a junk company like this?”

Then I looked back at the quote I had captured.

I choose to judge nothing that occurs.

Yeah right. Good luck with that. Impossible.

Is there any way judging can be GOOD for us?

If you take a higher-minded view of things, humans actually aren’t equipped to “judge” properly.

Judgment tends to invite a person down a rabbit hole of endless responding and reacting. It breeds “gripe formulation.” When we judge something, the natural tendency is to start seeking additional evidence to support our judgment, so that we feel “right.”

Soon we’re off in never-never land…building a case for or against some idea, instead of ATTENDING DIRECTLY TO OUR OWN LIVES.

I had to closely examine what was really underneath my judgment of Coca-Cola investing in Suja.

Deep down I suspected the following: that Coca-Cola is only investing in Suja (the world’s fastest growing organic juice company) because its own Odwalla line of juices has been under-performing.

Coca-Cola is investing in Suja not because it believes in organic taking over the world… or because it’s passionate about revitalizing a fucked up food industry (which includes itself).

It’s doing this only for the money.

And THAT was the real heart of my judgment:

There is something bad about people/companies who do things ONLY for the money. They’re scumbags.

From the moment we’re born, we’re taught to neurotically judge everything in our path. This is especially true when it comes to money. Or people who behave in specific ways with money.

Is money a bad thing? Is $90 million a bad thing? Is expanding the distribution of an organic juice product a bad thing?

No, no, and no.

The judgment itself is what hurts us, hinders us, throws us off track, throws us deeper into a spiral of negativity. It brings us closer and closer to an INACCURATE view of the world.

The only way judgment can be useful is if we examine what’s underneath it. And if we treat it as a CLUE to reveal the hidden parts of ourselves that may need to be looked at.

Judgment can help us clarify what we stand for and believe in…and make sure those beliefs are truly ours, not someone else’s.

That said…the Coke and Suja story has clarified to me something about my own personal belief system.

I believe that doing something JUST for the money is an unacceptable way of doing business. I believe there should be a strong “why” motivating our actions…including what we invest our money, time, and energy into. Otherwise there’s something incorrect/perverse/backwards/inaccurate about our investment. Something doesn’t ring true about it.

I have not even bothered to read what Suja has to say about all of this. The fact that they would align with a company like that, and take money from Coca-Cola, reveals a lot. Now if they had said “No thanks” to the $90 million, or “No thanks unless you stop selling Coke…” that would have been a huge act of high integrity. But they didn’t choose that route. Most people wouldn’t choose that route…they’d simply take the check and go celebrate for having “made it.”

Coca-Cola’s investment in Suja reminds me of McDonald’s cheesy attempt at bringing “love” into its marketing.

As I wrote in a previous blog, “If McDonald’s was SERIOUS about aligning itself with love, it would intentionally shut down its entire business. It would stop serving food that slowly kills those who eat it. It would cease marketing to children.”

If Coca-Cola SERIOUSLY believed in organic juice and truly believed in Suja and the principles associated with organic…then it would stop selling garbage soda products that lead to the slow demise of human health.

But they’re not going to cancel their main product. They don’t seriously believe in organic. Their investment in Suja is only about the money. It’s simply an opportunity to tap into the fast-growing consumer demand for organic.

Coca-Cola is the type of company to take zero responsibility for its contribution to the demise of human health.

“Coca-Cola’s sales are slipping, and there’s this huge political and public backlash against soda, with every major city trying to do something to curb consumption,” says Michele Simon, a public health lawyer. “…The company is losing. They’re desperate to stop the bleeding.”

Word.

So sorry, Course in Miracles, but I had to judge something today.

Coca-Cola’s investment in Suja is pure B.S.

Thank you, judgment, for giving me insight into my own mind and belief systems.
Talk soon,
Michelle

P.S. The actions of Big Food companies can drive a conscious consumer insane (if they pay too much attention to them). That’s why I love small, independent organic companies that are doing business on their own terms. There tends to be more alignment, and less bullsh*t. If that sounds like your company, see what you can do to strengthen your own marketing, so that you can succeed big without selling out!

About the Author

Michelle Lopez is a writer, editor, and copywriter with a BA in English/Creative Writing from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

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