When you look at another's life, perhaps a life that has been fraught with travesty and injustice, you are not to feel sorry for the person. You are not to feel sorry for anyone. Do not mix up feeling sorry with compassion. The Great Spiritual Ones never demeaned anyone by feeling sorry for them. This is a great message for you, for, when you feel sorry for another, you are putting yourself in a higher place and the other in a lower place. Neither is a good place to be.

By the same token, feel not sorry for yourself, for then you are mired in self-pity. That gets you nowhere.

Certainly, it is one thing to feel superior and quite another to be grateful for your good fortune.

Count your blessings, and cast blessings on everyone. Everyone. Everyone can use more blessings.

Every life has its travails. Every life has its blessings. Look for blessing, not only in your own life, but in the lives of others.

When you feel sorry for others, you are nailing them to the wall. Feel blessed, and not superior.

You have an influence on everyone around you, and you have an influence on everyone far from you. You don't have to be right next to others in order to have an influence on them.

Every influence you have also influences you. Whether intentioned or not, when you put someone down, you have lowered yourself.

Enough shrugging of your shoulders that life as you see it is an alas of the human condition. Look at the human condition in a different way. You are the king of creatures on Earth. Be loyal to all the kings that inhabit Earth. Every human being is a king or queen, and everyone rules the land. By your thoughts, by your emphasis, you dictate to the world. You rule the empire by how you move the baton of your thought. You swing and sway the Universe with your thoughts.

Have the intention to have uplifting thoughts. Have the intention to be true to your words. Have the intention to speak the truth. Truth serves all. Your thoughts rule you as well. Set your intention. Set your attention. When a course is set, it is set. Set a course across the Ocean, and the ship of your life will go as you have programmed it.

When thoughts that you do not favor grab you, gently move your mind to thoughts that serve.

Whom are you serving, beloveds? Add grace to your thoughts.

When unliked thoughts overtake you, simply turn aside from them. Don't do battle with them because then you make untoward thoughts strong. Come to My way of thinking, and you will rest your mind. Rest in Me.

Let Me kiss unwanted thoughts away. Picture the thoughts you don't want as coming to Me. Then see that they are removed from you. They will fly away. Send them to Me as gently as Moses was placed in the bulrushes. I will distract you from thoughts that are less than you desire. I will dismiss such thoughts from you.

As I desire you to have a high regard for everyone, I also so desire that you have a high regard for yourself. How you regard yourself depends on the thoughts you direct to others. I will commandeer the unbeautiful thoughts and cast them aside. They will no longer exist. You will gain new thoughts and new insights, and you will feel better about yourself and others. You will rise. You will begin to steer the direction of your own thoughts. You will sail to the High Seas.