Works in Progress

Have you ever looked at a piece of art before it was completed? It usually doesn't look as good as the finished product. Some of the details will be missing. The colors may be a bit off. In fact, it might not look that great at all. If we were to judge a piece of art before it's completed, we would be doing both it and ourselves a disservice. We should not judge too harshly any work of art while it's in progress.

That includes people. All people are "works in progress." Everyone is continuing to grow and change. Everyone is progressing toward one endpoint or another. No one who still lives is their whole, final self. We should not judge anyone too harshly while they're still in the process of becoming whomever they are going to become.

And that includes ourselves. We should be patient with ourselves, just as we are with others. We, too, are works in progress. We, too, are continuing the grow and change. We know how imperfect we and others are right now, but we shouldn't dwell on that any more than we dwell on how an unfinished artwork is imperfect.

We are, all of us, still in the process of becoming perfect. Let's not judge anyone too harshly for not being quite there yet.