“I will make a conscious effort to look for the good in every person in my group.” (ODAT, 17 November)
I can look for the good in two ways. Either I can look for the particular merits of the individual, or I can look for the so-called spark of God within them. Since this spark is axiomatically taken to be in each person, I needn’t look for evidence or figure anything out: I can switch straight to applying it and seeing the goodness inherent in that spark radiating out into every part of that person’s being.
Resentment is not an event of which I am the patient, the undergoer. It is an activity eliminated through replacement with a new spirit, namely this spirit of good will. Once good will is firmly established, no patience or tolerance is further required—the person is fully incorporated into the landscape, and there is nothing that stands out to be patient or tolerant of. All one sees is trees in every direction.