The Sacred Discipline of Seeing the Good
All true spiritual pathways teach this same sacred truth: we must love one another. We must learn to look first into our own hearts before we presume to judge others' shortcomings. We must be very careful not to place ourselves above our neighbors, our relatives, or any member of the Human Family, for when we exalt ourselves, life itself will humble us and bring us back to the ground.
This is one of the great disciplines of the spirit. Before we speak of another person’s faults, we must ask Wakan Tanka, the Great Mystery, our Beloved Creator, to help us see clearly our own. For each of us carries wounds, blind places, unfinished lessons, and habits that still need healing. When humility enters the heart, judgment begins to fall away, and compassion becomes possible.
We are called to look upon every human being with eyes that search for what is worthy of praise. Every person carries some gift, some light, some sacred possibility placed within them by the Creator. When we train our hearts to see that goodness, we become capable of friendship with the whole Human Family.
But if we look upon people only through their faults, their mistakes, their weaknesses, or their failures, then friendship becomes very difficult. The heart grows hard, the mind becomes divided, and the sacred hoop of unity is broken. To be a true relative, a true servant of peace, and a true builder of unity, we must learn to see the hidden good in one another and help call it forward with love, patience, humility, and respect.