When we look around, rather than viewing the world with rose-tinted glasses it seems to be only be shown through a dark, black veil. Seventeen kids are brutally murdered in their school, along with hundreds more in the past. Congress does nothing to protect the lives of our children. The doomsday clock continuously moves closer to midnight. War runs wild through the world. It is so hard to see past the all the muck and all of the bad that attempts to muddy our sight. This is a call to wipe your eyes, take a step back, and embrace a wholesome practice of acknowledging goodness.

There are two parts to seeing the goodness in the world. Seeing the goodness in others and seeing the goodness in yourself.

Seeing goodness in others.

I will admit, there are some people that are very hard to love. Further, there are some people that are dripping with evil. The people we are talking about are not the latter, we are discussing the people we come into contact day to day that have become woven into our lives.

See the goodness in them. Take them for what they are and the place they have in the grand universe. Approach them with the understanding that they are a human being just as you are, and they have goodness laced within their bones, even if deep down inside. Approach them void of ulterior motives or an agenda. Stop speaking to them and acknowledging them with the idea of what you can get from them in the back of your mind.

This is the practice of having an open heart to the world around you and all the creatures within it. We are trained to have walls and defenses because it is thought that these will someone keep us safe and protected. Most of us have experienced the fault in this logic; we have still been hurt even with enormous walls and armories guarding our inner heart. While having an open heart would allow yourself to be filled as you pour out and would even align your inner spirits as you love others.

Seeing goodness in yourself.

This one is arguably the harder of the two. The phrase "you are your worst critic" is a coined cliche for a reason; it is something we all relate to on a daily basis. To love others you really need to love yourself. Understand your flaws and shortcomings and view them, rather than as negatives, as simple aspects of the intricate being you are. Realize that you matter and the space you exist in is solely yours. It is your space to accomplish good in the world and to love others. Allow yourself to forgive yourself, for whatever you need to forgive. Take care of yourself, your mind, body, and spirit. Speak words of love and adoration for yourself. Have an open heart and point it inward.

The Buddha once said, "You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection."

Take this practice and allow it to manifest every square inch of your life. Feel the wholesome place you will come to as a result.