Doing The Best We Can

Do you believe that we’re all doing the best that we can?  I mean each of us.  Every single one.  It’s one of the subjects that Brene’ Brown covers in her most recent book, Rising Strong, and it’s a concept I find fascinating. Admittedly, sometimes the best that someone can do might be distasteful to us or possibly even dangerous — and in those cases, we have to learn to maintain our integrity and establish good boundaries — but it doesn’t change the fact that it is actually the best that that person can do.  She has found that personally, when she works from the intention that people are doing their best, it can really be pretty liberating. Here is a reason that Brene’ Brown believes that self-righteousness can be perilous to our thinking:  She says, “Most of us buy into the myth that it’s a long fall from “I’m better than you” to “I’m not good enough” — but the truth is that these are two sides of the same coin.  Both are attacks on our worthiness.  We don’t compare when we’re feeling good about ourselves; we look for what’s good in others.  When we practice self-compassion, we are compassionate toward others.  Self-righteousness is just the armor of self-loathing.” I love gaining new insights.