In popular depictions, St. Peter is often portrayed holding both the key to heaven and a book. The key symbolizes his authority to grant access to heaven, which is supported by biblical evidence in Matthew 16:18-19 [I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven]. On the other hand, the book, sometimes called the Book of Life, is believed to contain a record of each person’s deeds throughout their life, which will be used to determine their worthiness to enter heaven. However, this belief in the ‘Book of Life’ is not supported by biblical evidence and may be an elaboration of the idea of the key.

Whether or not St. Peter is keeping track of our deeds, the fact is that we, human beings, keep a mental record of our dealings with others throughout our lives. This mental record can be likened to a personal ledger in accounting, where all financial transactions with individuals are recorded.

We record our interactions with others, consciously or unconsciously. We come to know of or get in contact with others through phone calls, emails, mass media, social media, hearsay, personal meetings, and so on. We form an opinion based on our paradigm, which may be pleasant or unpleasant, and they are recorded as positive or negative, respectively, much like credits and debits in accounting.

Our mental book records our dealings with everyone we encounter, including family, friends, colleagues, strangers, public figures, and even those who have passed before us or those yet to be born. Our final impression of a person depends on the balance between positive and negative entries, just like in accounting. Thus, we are passing judgment on everyone we come into contact with, directly, indirectly, or even remotely. These judgments are based on our own beliefs and experiences.

Our personal ledger discoveries are manifested in our interactions with others. We express our opinions about others in our daily encounters. By simply observing our group conversations, we will notice that we frequently pass judgment on others. Most of our discussions, within our own group, revolve around the faults and shortcomings of others.

I distinctly remember a particular instance when my cousins and I were engrossed in our usual conversation, critiquing people who were absent from our gathering. It was at that moment when our late cousin Joychayan (Dr. M J Cherian, ENT surgeon) joined us and remarked, “In the end, only we, among everyone in this world, are without any faults.” This is a psychological game of one-upmanship we engage in. We undermine others, particularly our peers, in order to elevate ourselves and appear superior. This comment from our cousin, served as a wake-up call, making us realize the unconscious bookkeeping we engage in and how it permeates our dialogues and interactions with others.