"Why blame the dark for being dark? It is far more helpful to ask why the light isn’t as bright as it could be."

In my mind, and sometimes out loud, I catch myself criticizing people for their faults and mistakes, rather than looking for their light. For whatever reason, it is oftentimes much easier to see the darkness in people, rather than the light. I have decided to challenge myself to see the light in someone else EVERYDAY.
I see lots and lots of people on my walk to and from work each morning. I am changing my perspective so that I really listen when they say “good morning” and look closely when they smile, rather than focusing on the clothes they are wearing or any number of other judgments I could make. I live with lots of people. I am changing my perspective so that I enjoy the homecooked meal that a roommate made, rather than being bitter about dirty dishes in the kitchen sink. I work with lots of people. I am changing my perspective so that I laugh when a client tells me I never look nice for work, rather than getting frustrated when another client complains about what we are serving for lunch. I am changing my perspective so that my life is brighter.
I have become an expert at pointing out the faults of others. What I want to be, is an expert at pointing out the gifts of others. I want to see accomplishment before I see mistake. I want to recognize light, before darkness.
Bishop Desmond Tutu once said, “My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together.” We are, everyone, reflections of our neighbors, and when we focus on the darkness of others, we are inherently focusing on the darkness of ourselves. You are a part of me, I am a part of you, and together we can be better than we are alone. We can be brighter.