“If a man honestly seeks to live his best at all times, that determination is visible in every moment of his living, no trifle in his life can be too insignificant to reflect his principle of living. The sun illuminates and beautifies a fallen leaf by the roadside as impartially as a towering mountain peak in the Alps. Every drop of water in the ocean is an epitome of the chemistry of the whole ocean; every drop is subject to precisely the same laws as dominate the united infinity of billions of drops that make that miracle of Nature, men call the Sea. No matter how humble the calling of the individual, how uninteresting and dull the round of his duties, he should do his best. He should dignify what he is doing by the mind he puts into it, he should vitalize what little he has of power or energy or ability or opportunity, in order to prepare himself to be equal to higher privileges when they come. This will never lead man to that weak content that is satisfied with whatever falls to his lot. It will rather fill his mind with that divine discontent that cheerfully accepts the best,―merely as a temporary substitute for something better.” ~ William George Jordan

My wife and I watched a Ken Burns documentary called “The Shakers” the day before yesterday and many of its messages have been bouncing around the back of my mind ever since. I knew very little about the Shakers prior to watching this film, and I am sure that were I to ask any one of the three Shakers still living if it was an accurate portrayal they would likely defend their religion as being a living one, not a dying one. Fair enough.

It is easy to dismiss people based on an objection or a reaction to an element of their faith and to miss the great lessons that can be learned from the truths they are fluent in. Often people dismiss others because they don’t understand them, because they are different or because they don’t seem to fit in with the mainstream. You have likely been subject to this prejudice at some point in your life, consciously or unconsciously, for it is the primary driver behind the homogenization that occurs from peer pressure.

One of the beliefs which stood out to me in the Shaker faith is that all things are sacred. No one day is more holy than another and no activity in life is more hallowed than another. Adherents to the Shaker faith are entirely committed to living a wholesome life and one of their goals was to bring the idea of perfection that they call “heaven” into the practical everyday details of life, called “earth.” As such, they give everything they undertake their all. This devotion can be seen in the quality of their craftsmanship, the primary looking glass through which this religion was and continues to be viewed. Their furniture, architecture, machinery, fabrics and anything else they touched oozed simple, unadorned practical elegance in every detail.

You needn’t be religious to find inspiration in this point. This, in fact, is the ultimate challenge: to do your best in everything you undertake, no matter how you feel.

You can learn lessons from others, even if you feel they are not perfect in every way. Far too often people throw the baby out with the bath water because of something judged unworthy, insufficient or incorrect. Look on your world with equanimity and keep your eyes and ears open for any revelation of the truth through others. On this basis you can dignify the world around you, rather than judging and condemning it as being unworthy.