I am what I believe I am. We are all in the process of becoming what we believe, feel, and think we are. This inner perspective of ourselves becomes the matrix and fabric from which our entire lives are patterned. If I listen to others who don’t have my best interest at heart or if I believe that I am a worthless wretch undeserving of Love, than that is all I will be. If I believe that I am Soul, an eternal divine spark of the Grand Creator of all life, endowed with all the same attributes, than that is who I am. The choice is mine alone.
Whether I wear dirty rags and live on the street or wear a fancy suit and live in the Whitehouse, I have not changed who I am. I am Soul. People may treat me differently and judge me by what they see outwardly, but I will never let others diminish my worth or determine who I am. Only I have the power to do that. If someone hates me for the way I look or believe, so be it. I have no desire to change them or hate them back. It would be waste of my time and energy to blame people for inwardly being asleep. Outwardly they are only expressing their lack of understanding and limited awareness.
When I see a bird, a person, a dog or even a plant, I see Soul. While I do see their miraculous outer forms in all their wondrous diversity, I am deeply aware of their true identity and divine nature, even if they are not. On a personal level, while I do not necessarily like everyone, as they are a fellow travelers and children of the Creator, I do want to afford them the kindness and respect they deserve. The higher we rise in our perspective, the easier it is to appreciate life and see how best to arrange the foundation stones of our lives and plan our path forward.