i believe for me that i must recognize my present limitations in this dimension where many people will not accept me for the way i am. It is better to just to be appreciative of those who will. No matter what we do we are unable to please many people. Sometimes because of our views we may be isolated. Early in life i recognized this but still had a strong faith in what i was doing and i still do. Sometimes we must just have faith in ourselves. Circumstances and people may not always reflect what we experience in our spiritual life. We can ask for understanding but it is best to give understanding. i am trying more and more to understand and have empathy for others even though they may not have empathy for me. It is difficult but i believe it is something i am working on. It seems to me that there are various spiritual 'themes' that come up in our spiritual training and it is best to recognize them if we are able to because these facets of our life can hold us back in our spiritual growth. Those who are our friends are trying to help us see ourselves more clearly. This is very helpful to recognize in our encounters with others. The Guru acts as a reflection of ourselves so that we are able to see more clearly our own imperfections and not concentrate on the imperfections in others.
It also helps not to get too wrapped up with others, then it isn't so bad. Must try to help ourself ourself.
