Appreciation is Human Medicine

Voltaire articulates something I think we all know to be true in our experience. In fact, I have heard it said that which we notice, value and appreciate in others can often be a reflection of that which we long to cultivate in ourselves. Since we long for it there’s a good chance the quality is already one of our own, albeit obscured by shadows.

When I read the quote I wondered this: does that mean when we criticise and find fault in others - that which we are objecting to also belongs to us, in us?

I have noticed that a robust practice of Appreciation also brings increased compassion for that which we like less, in ourselves, and in others. It is our very own human medicine.