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Whenever I find myself getting overly self-righteous about my position on things I pull out one of my all-time most helpful practices called "Just Like Me." I learned it from Pema Chodron who explains it here:
“It is a simple human truth that everyone, just like you, wants to be happy and to avoid suffering. Just like you, everyone else wants to have friends, to be accepted and loved, to be respected and valued for their unique qualities, to be healthy and to feel comfortable with themselves. Just like you, no one else wants to be friendless and alone, to be looked down upon by others, to be sick, to feel inadequate and depressed."
To make this idea a practice in your everyday life you start using the phrase "Just Like Me..." when you come across someone who irritates you, someone you disagree with, someone you might even describe as your enemy. "Just like me this person wants to be respected or feel comfortable with themselves." "Just like me this person doesn't want to be looked down on or feel inadequate."
According to Pema, this practice “...humbles us, because it shines a spotlight on our habit of thinking that we are the center of the world. When we acknowledge our shared humanity with another person, we connect with them in a surprisingly intimate way. They become like family to us, and this helps dissolve our isolation and aloneness.”
In a week we in the United States will have selected a new president, and whether you celebrate the results or not, seeing ourselves in one another might help us come together for the good of all.
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