Consideration for Others: Inspiration for the Week

Consideration for others is one of the marks of a refined spirit. Many people on the spiritual path feel that, since it is within that they are seeking the kingdom of God, and since they are working at developing a spirit of non-attachment, it doesn’t matter how they express themselves to others. Indeed, their inconsiderateness is an affirmation of their independence of the opinions and feelings of others. “If God is pleased,” they tell themselves, “what matters the displeasure of man?” Yet by unkindness we can never please God, who is all Kindness itself. Sensitivity to others is a way of self-expansion. One truly achieves freedom in himself when he can respect their realities, because he is wholly at peace with his own.