somehow, i suspect, the select few is a far larger amount of people than we think that it is. enlightenment is over-rated. :)

I think being "enlightened"takes courage,it isnt easy...I think the thoughts come to us but the actions dont....

Wow really interesting thread!

The other day a friend gave me the most beautiful compliments and I thought "wow if we could only see ourselves the way others see us."

Would it be possible to see ourselves the way God sees us? I think not. Our egos would jump in the way and try to take credit.

So how does one see themself as they truly are? Seems almost impossible.

"So how does one see themself as they truly are? Seems almost impossible."

Heheh, if I could bottle the answer to that and sell it, I'd put Bill Gate's fortune to shame. To absolute shame!!!!! :-)

I'm sure the Dalai Lama knows the answer to this, however the vast, vast majority of us would simply not understand it or just refuse to believe it. ;-)

we're worth a whole helluva lot, even if we don't think so

I like the comment about how God sees us

we're more than the sum of our parts
more than our physical bodies
more than our self-image
more than our accomplishments or failures
more, even, than our relationships

whether we see that or not has no bearing on our worth sa far as I am concerned

daili lama is all about branding and marketing...haha

JoyRide, if we don't believe it, it does us little good in this world. Perhaps in the next, but not here.

I don't doubt we are worth everything, each and every one of us. That includes those society deems the most horrible among us.

Actualization....

God doesn't have a ruler to measure one's worth, imo. We're all equal. Who chooses to let Him in and who doesn't makes no difference. He'll always be there with love for whomever, whenever.

it may do those who think lowly of themselves much good

but it does me good to be conscious of everyone's value

I can't control how others see themselves
but I can control how I see others

My lesson has been to learn how to do that while still valuing myself enough to protect me from harm, even while I am compassionate and loving to those "society deems the most horrible among us".

I agree with what you're saying JoyRide. However it's hard to do so if we don't see ourselves in a good light.

I can see the inherent worth in others because I see the same in me.

Ripples in a pond. Reflections...

if we know something is not true, why do we hold onto it as a belief? there are probably several reasons for that the most common being a fear of some sort.

culture continuously tries to influence people and pigeon-hole us. and we are all brainwashed by it to one degree or another. that is why i admire the bhuddist monks in place like remote Tibet. far removed from civilization, they can get away from the dstractions to reach deep levels of quiet that we can't begin to imagine.

but, since we are free and live in the best time in human history in free environments, we can develop ourselves any way that we feel is natural for us - especially since we are newly single.

@Joy: i agree. some of us here have to learn how to have a barrier up of some sort to protect us while being compassionate with others who may be far different than we are.

JASG

I agree with you.

But there come times when we have the opportunity to speak up.

That's where I'm coming from.

I wish my affirmations to my sister on her inherent worth and goodness had an impact. Still, I don't give up or lose faith. It'll be so until the end.

Of course the point of my OP is we do have the power to define ourselves, for better or worse. Others can show us the way to the mountain, but only we can climb to its lofty height.

Oh, God.