I have some really great news! Recently I got an opportunity of taking an interview from a Judge — and of course I couldn’t let it slip away! It was such a blessing to finally meet a person like this, to get a glimpse of understanding about his way of thinking, get more insights into his work related matters, find out about his lifestyle… At times I was also very surprised by some of his statements — to say the least! Anyway, without further ado — here’s the interview. Enjoy!
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Thank you for agreeing to spare few minutes of your valuable time, your honor. I feel very excited to meet you — in an informal environment, luckily!
(Laughs) Yes, of course, my pleasure to be here.
I have never had a chance of speaking with a judge before. I assume there may be some boundaries that I should not be crossing in this interview — for example, some specific information that you may not be able to disclose?
I may not be able to answer every single question of yours, but my intention today is to be as open and honest with you as I can. Therefore, please, ask anything! Before we begin though, I have to say — I’m really baffled by the fact that you have never spoken with a judge before. As for me, I seem to meet them everywhere, whether that be on street, in park, in office, or even at home!
Being surrounded by judges everyday! I can only imagine! So, let’s start this from the beginning. How old were you when you first realized you wanted to be a judge?
Oh, that’s a great question, let me think… Well, to be quite honest, I don’t think I ever even thought about becoming one! Since my early childhood I was constantly surrounded by other judges all the time. My parents, my friends, relatives… All of them seemed to know this “craft” fairly well. Therefore judging somewhat became my second nature without me actually realizing that. I only first understood this after I have learned how to judge myself for judging other people too often.
A judge who is judging himself, ladies and gentlemen! That is priceless! It sounds to me like choosing your career path was very easy, knowing your interest in judging from your early days. Would I be correct?
You see, I have never actually “chosen” this profession. As a child I always wanted to be a pilot, I wanted to fly planes, reach the greatest heights… Later on I started considering other — more realistic for my case — ways to earn for living. But becoming a judge… It never even crossed my mind!
And yet, you have become one! I don’t know whether it’s too personal or not, but I have to ask — how much do you earn from your job? You don’t have to be very specific, of course.
I have yet to earn a single penny from judging! So far I have done everything for free, not charging anyone. I suppose you can call me a volunteer (laughs).
I did not expect to hear this at all! You are earning absolutely nothing?!
That is correct.
And yet, it is such a responsible job…
Well, it does not really feel responsible. I mean, how do you define “responsible”? Shouldn’t it mean something that matters to other people, something serious, valuable?
Yes, of course. I mean, your work does affect lives of other people!
I will admit that my judgments may have affected few people, directly or indirectly. But my point is that, usually, my judgments only affect how I myself am feeling. And yet… Sometimes they also have an impact on my decision making and, of course, my interaction with people.
I can only imagine how much time passes until you make a decision about someone being (not)guilty… I mean, it has to be days, or even weeks, perhaps?
Oh, no, not at all! I usually make a decision in a split second! Sometimes I, of course, have to take a second look at a specific case — if I get some new information about the accused, that is. Therefore it may take another second or two to make a final decision.
Unbelievably quick! Perhaps judges also get better with practice! I assume one requires an insane amount of knowledge, compassion and understanding of human behavioral patterns in order to become a judge like you! Perhaps some specific personality traits as well?
I don’t think so. I rarely use my knowledge or empathy when judging. Sometimes I do think about how well a particular individual acts according to my values, and my decision usually depends solely on that. Really, in order to become a judge you simply need start judging. That’s it!
Well, I could never be a judge…
Of course you could! You’d be surprised of how easy that is! In fact, you just made a judgment about your capabilities in your last sentence! That’s a start!
Well, thank you, I may actually give it a shot! Anyway, I still can’t believe this: a single requirement for a profession that is so vital in our society!
Are you sure about this? I mean, about it being so important? I’m pretty certain our society would do so much better without judges. In fact, I believe that we, judges, are the greatest wrath of a society!
Why do you think so, if I may ask?
Judging does not create any product or value to anyone. In fact, it does not create anything but misunderstandings. It may hurt someone, or it may prevent a judge from making a quality decision in his/her own life. And yes, I am speaking from my experience (smiles somewhat sadly).
And what is it that awaits people who are found “guilty” by you? How do they usually get punished?
They don’t get punished. Sometimes I retain the judgment of them in my mind, sometimes I do tell them about how I judged them. In latter case, I pretty much always receive a counter-judgment from them as well.
How many judges are there in the world, anyway?
I would not know! If I may take a wild guess… Few billion, perhaps.
So many?! Wow! I could have never imagined! Anyway, let’s get back to more personal matters. How long do you spend working everyday?
16 to 18 hours, usually.
Don’t you take a break once in a while?
No, not really. My only “break” happens when I am asleep.
What do you do when you’re not working? Do yo have any hobbies that you love?
You mean, what do I do when I’m not judging? It does not happen. I’m always doing it. Except when I meditate — I usually do it for few minutes everyday. I guess you can call it hobby.
Oh, I can’t believe how quickly time passed by. I have a couple more questions to wrap this up. What would you say to all the people who are still not sure whether or not they should start judging?
Based on my experience I’d say — don’t do it! It may look appealing in some cases, it may look as a “right thing to do” sometimes, but it has never brought anything positive in my life. If you still insist on becoming a judge… Well, I hope you’ll make better judgments than I have so far!
I see. And, finally, what would be your message to all the judges worldwide, doing this insanely time-consuming, useless, harmful and unpaid work every single day of their lives?
Wake up.
