Blog 3942 – 09.08.2026

What Other People Think

It is a consideration, what other people think, but no matter what we do, say, or think someone is always going to have a different opinion. In my daily mantra or affirmation, I remind myself of that unchangeable fact with the words of the following intention:

“May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in my sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”

Believing as I have for the last twenty-five years of my life that my higher power is my highest and best self, I realized that is this One I should try hardest to please. I grant you that having been most of my life a “people pleaser” discarding the beliefs that no longer serve me has not always been easy for me.

For most of the first fifty years of this adventure in time and space I was wrapped up in a fundamentalist faith that was a guilt religion where I was judged by God, others, and myself as unworthy and always found wanting. I did not love myself and anyone who said they did was suspect. I did not know two very important things back then: One, that loving yourself is the greatest love of all and two that it is only possible to love others “as you love yourself.”

Till we can see the best in ourselves, not just the worst, it is hard for us to see the good in others. In guilt religions judging and condemning are invariably the favorite pass time, baseball and football not withstanding. To paraphrase Lincoln’s great quote about fooling people, you can please some of the people some of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot please all of the people all of the time. “So you may as well please yourself.”

Your friend and fellow traveler,

David James White

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZenRxHqwY1KHVoQTcJQx_fEvdeioTA7S/view?usp=drivesdk

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