Daily Meditation: Monday, March 17, 2003

You know at least one person, living or dead, who has …

03/17/2003

You know at least one person, living or dead, who has demonstrated great wisdom, who has a superior understanding of things. Well, each time the occasion arises, say to yourself: 'My reaction is thus and so, but how would he or she react in my place?' And then, thanks to this mental exchange between yourself and that person, you will adjust and rectify your position. Human beings have an instinctive tendency to compare themselves with others, but usually they do so to point out how much better, more honest, or more intelligent they are than someone else. Are such comparisons fruitful? Not really. It is not with ordinary, mediocre people that you should compare yourself, but with those who are more advanced. And history is full of examples of superior beings who, if we study their lives and their philosophy, can give us a true yardstick by which to measure ourselves. If we want to evolve, it is with them that we should compare ourselves.