5 Quotes to Stir Your Soul
Ram Dass once said:
When you go out into the woods, and you look at trees, you see all these different trees. And some of them are bent, and some of them are straight, and some of them are evergreens, and some of them are whatever. And you look at the tree and you allow it. You see why it is the way it is. You sort of understand that it didn’t get enough light, and so it turned that way. And you don’t get all emotional about it. You just allow it. You appreciate the tree.
The minute you get near humans, you lose all that. And you are constantly saying ‘You are too this’, or ‘I’m too this.’ That judgment mind comes in. And so I practice turning people into trees. Which means appreciating them just the way they are.
This passage reminded me that research on relationships demonstrates that within the most successful, thriving relationships, the practice of appreciation runs deep. Appreciation is the key ingredient.
Some people consider acceptance to be the opposite of judgement but I consider the opposite of judgement to be appreciation.
Because when we’re judging, we’re tearing down. We’re pulling apart. We’re finding fault. And when we’re appreciating, we’re not looking with a critical eye. We’re looking through the eyes of love and gratitude. We’re not asking the other person to change. We’re not…
