But I was sitting in a bar tonight pondering how much happier I would be if I saw the good in everyone, the Light in everyone, and rather than getting angry when they behave in ways which are hurtful, that I look deeper, and see that for some reason an important aspect of their divine inheritance–the Truth we are all born with–is unavailable to them. They are like people eating cat food when they have a pile of uncashed winning Lottery tickets.
Disappointment on their behalf, and/or pity are better reactions. Anger has its place, but it often accomplishes and heals nothing, and often makes things much worse.
And it seems to me that seeing the best–which is to be sure in pretty much all cases is the possibility, not the reality–makes it much easier to love myself.
Ponder: what is the psychological effect of imbibing an ideology which views all human beings as inherently depraved and wicked? If you are human, you must loathe yourself, too, and loathing oneself it is impossible not to loathe others. To be sure, if this misanthropy is welded onto a corresponding ideology of “love”, then compulsive actions with regard to love become possible too which mask the unhappiness inherent in this belief system.
Satanism is merely the Shadow of Christianity. It shows what was present but hidden in church doctrine as it evolved. There were countless acts of evil committed by the Catholic Church in the nominal name of Goodness, Piety, Truth, and Love. This goes on even today.
Neither the forward Mass, nor the Black Mass, done backwards, make any sense to me as representations of important truths about God and humankind.
The Hindus, with their Namaste–this, “I salute the Divine in you”–are much wiser. Yes, they had their Kali cults and Thuggees and some awful people, but they were shadows of humanity itself, not a necessary counterpoint to the highest beliefs they hold.
They do have their Dalits, too, so I don’t want to go too far in my admiration, but suffice it to say I am trying to evolve a world view and way of interacting with ugly people–who I will see along the way as long as I live–which either does not diminish my happiness, or which in fact increases it.
Generosity is generative for the giver. As an old Sufi adage goes “The Sufi begs to give himself to you”. He wants you to take everything, leaving nothing. Because when nothing is left, there is nothing but Light.