Looking for faults in others is a dangerous habit. We lose sight of our shortcomings if we waste our time thinking we are superior to others. Would not correcting our own faults be a better use of our energy?

          A man well known for his wisdom took his son to a beautiful garden to pray and to mediate. Many others had gathered there for the same purpose. The fragrance of the flowers, the soft whispering of the breeze, and the quiet murmur of a stream created a sense of peace. The father and son sat in the shade of a tree. The boy, following his father’s example, closed his eyes and filled his mind with spiritual thoughts. But after some time he became tired. He lost his focus and began to look around, first at the flowers and the birds, and then at the people. To his surprise, he saw that more than half of them were asleep. The boy thought about this: “All these people have come here to pray. They all think they are devoted and religious. But they are not praying. They are just pretending.” This bothered him. So he kept thinking about it. And then another thought came to him, a most dangerous thought indeed. He turned to his father and asked, “Are we not better than those who are sleeping instead of praying?”

          The father remained silent for a while and then replied, “We might have been, had you not asked that question.”